Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-11
PRISON INDUSTRY
MAY Be REFORMED
Women's Clubs Federation,
in Convention, Urges
Equitable Prices.

Constructive plans for organizing the
prison industries in each State of the
Union on a proper basis were brought
before the members of the board of
directors of the General Federation of
Women's Clubs this morning by out.
standing experts on prison labor prob
lens at the conference on prison labor,
which concluded the annual Midwinter
board meeting at the N street head
quarters.
Col. Joseph D. Sears, chairman of the
prism labor committee of the board Of
managers of the New Jersey State
prison, under whose direction 1t was
said this prison has made the greatest
progress of any in the country during
the past 10 years in solving prison labor
problems, described the methods used
by his organization to secure fair
standard of values for prison-made
products and to promote efficiency
through the right type of employment
for the laborers.
Price-Cutting Decried.
Col. Sears was followed by A. r.
Allison, chairman of the National Stan.
dard Council who discussed the neces.
Sity for the proper labelling of prison.
made goods to prevent exploitation, to
provide for which the Halves Cooper
prison labor bill was passed in the last
regular session of Congress. At the
expiration of 4-year period of "prep-
aration," this bill will go into effect,
he said, and every State will have to
decide whether or not 1t shall be
enforced within its boundaries. He
pointed out the valuable work that
the clubwomen could do in influencing
public opinion to secure its enforce
ment, thus eliminating the cut-throat
marketing methods which he said have
bred so much discomfort and unfair
ness to prison labor in the past.
Mrs. John F. Sippel, president Of
the general federation, presided over
the conference. Miss Julia K. Jaffray,
chairman of the division of correction
OF the department of public welfare, in
troduced the speakers. She cited the
examples Of the States of New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Massachusetts as the
most progressive in prison labor re-
forms and urged the clubwomen to work
Tor similar progress within their own
States before the hour strikes for the
formal enforcement of the new law.
Wilbur Addresses Session.
Instead of permitting the steam of
youth to pass and pick up those who
fall in the march, the White House con-
ference on child health and protection
proposes to walk along with the young
and understand their problems, declared
oCCLctdEy VI Tie 1HJer1Or RAY Lyman
Wilbur at the afternoon session of the
board yesterday, describing the task Of
the group of 500 experts and a score of
committees who are working, under the
direction of the President, in this study.
THE problem of the child today must
be thought out in new terms and viewed
from an entirely new angle" said the
Secretary, pointing out the necessity for
careful study Of the problem of the
so-called delinquent child: of the chill
dren who find themselves in difficulties
beyond the capacity of their years; of
the crippled child as well as of the
general needs of all childhood in this
complex age. His corps of co-workers,
he said, are preparing to present to the
President, for the use of the entire
Nation, an array of facts about tie
problems of childhood such as never has
been gathered before in this world,
which, If used to the best advantage,
may have effects which will be felt by a
whole generation of American children
and passed along from one generation
to the next and the next
DR.. II. e. Barnard, director of the
White House conference, of which Sec
rotary Wilbur is the general chairman,
spoke also on the task they have UNDER
taken.
Mrs. John D. Sherman, immediate
past president Of the General Fed
Grafton, was unanimously elected
honorary president of the organization
and Mrs. Florence Dibert of Johnstown.
Pa. was elected honorary vice president.