The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-02-24
MERGER LIKELY.
TO Be PASSED.
Reorganization Has Bet
ter Than Even Chance
to Get by House

RALEIGH, Feb. 24.-The big
gest item in the reorganization
committees program to bring
about a 100000 reduction III
governmental costs through con-
solidation, now seems assured OF
final enactment, according to bet
ter informed opinion here. The
highway-prison consolidation bill
passed the senate by q surprising
majority and it now goes to tn"
house. where it has better than
even chance of passage.
The senate vote on the merger
came as a surprise to many, as
the opposition to this measure,
long hailed as the least likely OF
the reorganization bills to pass.
has been loud and lusty. But the
opposition was numerically weak
and when the bill, in a slightly
amended form, came up for a vote
after three sessions of debate,
there was only eight negative
votes.
On the part Of great number
of members Of the general assem-
bly,. however, there is considerable
doubt that the bill will result IN
an outright saving Of more than
100000. which is the estimate
of the reorganization committee.
But they are convinced that 1t Will
result in at least some saving, per-
haps a substantial amount, and
that it has the potential cmbodI-
ments of saving many hundreds
of thousands of dollars to the
state. -,
Passage Of the bill by bo5h
houses Of the general assembly
would place all the states prison.
ers under a new department. to be
known as the department OF high
WAYS and public works. There are
already 1880 prisoners in the
charge of the highway depart
ment, This is considerably more
than the $500 in the states prls-
on. Eighteen hundred Of the con.
victs at states prison arc idle, and
since no new highway conStruc-
tion is now in progress or is con-
templated for the next blennlum,
the highway department now has
more convict labor than it can
use according to Chairman jeff
ress of the highway prison. -,
Everyone is willing to admit
that the idea Of using prison Ia
bor anywhere to displace free Ia
Dor is obnoxious, but since the
highway department now controls
more convicts than the prison
does the prevailing opinion seems
10 he that Il unified control Of
nrison labor would result in some
economy. and that the prisoners
could be better distributed for the
types of work for which they are
best suited.
The consolidation plan will give
the new department the job Of
keeping the prison system out Of
the red. but under a senate
amendment, the highway fund
will not have to absorb the pres
ent deficit, which will have TO
come out of the general fund.
This amendment. offered by Sen
ator Clement who finally voted
against the bill, eliminated one Of
the principal objections that had
previously been made against the
consolidation plan.
While a majority Of members
of the legislature see the merger
as q plan to graft a losing bust
ness to one which is managing to
pay its own way. even though It
has had to curtail most Of its &C
tivity. they hold to the opinion
that if the state can effect some
economy by taking money out Of
one pocket and putting it into
another, it should not fail to do
so.
Opponents of the prison-high-
way merger believe that the pris-
on's idle convicts could better be
put to work by the prison increaS-
ing its farm operations. The re-
organization committees bill how
ever also proposed an increased
1IaSnlng program. and many be-
lieve that by using the convicts on
| the roads and also on new farm
land which the department OF
highways and public works is au-