Evening star., 1933-07-14
HUGE TRADE GIVEN
TOCONv|CT SHOPS
Goods Worth IS Millions
Turned Out in 1882,
Report Bares.

At the same time the National Re
coverv Administrations Industrial Con-
troll Board was appealing to individual
members of industry to file trade COW
enantS for fair competition, the Labor
Department today revealed that 82,276
prisoners in penal institutions in this
country manufactured goods having a
value of s75.O0o,0o0 during 1882.
This is the first report the Labor
Department has made public on this
subject in 10 years and was regarded
as of utmost Importance in both manu-
featuring and labor circles.
The survey of prison labor was made
by the departments Bureau of Labor
Statistics and it revealed that last year
there were 158.947 prisoners confined
in Federal and State penal Institutions.
This compares with 84,76l in 1923, rep
resenting an increase of 81 per cent.
Shirts and Twine Made.
The bureaus report asserted that
among the most important classes CT
goods produced behind prison walls for
general consumption were 22,0O0 900
shirts. having value of $4,000 600;
63 100000 pounds of binder twine hav-
ing a value of S4,000000; 36,000,0 900
automobile license tags.
1t was revealed that convict labor
was responsible for the paving of ! 200
miles of new highway. having a valua-
ton of more than Sl5000,000. during
last year. In this connection the bureau
cited that convicts in Georgia built
roads valued at $4,000 in ~ months
The crowded condition of the penal
system in this country was brought out
in the report. which showed that of
the general total confined. 17,027 pris-
oners were idle and 52,896 were en-
gagged in minor prison routine. The
report added:
''Of the 1l6 State prisons, &C paid
a money wage to all or part Of the
inmates: 48 paid no compensation of
any kind for work done, and two al
lowed credit of time on sentences for
prisoners doing certain classes of work.
OF the II Federal prisons. seven paid
wages to prisoners for work done and
five did not. In most of the institu-
tions the pay was nominal, generally
ranging from cents to not more than
Is cents per GAY. although in a few
prisons the scales were considerably
higher.
Several Systems Used.
"Of the prisoners employed at pro-
QtCtlFe ldDOI III lSoL. Id pei Ctut lldu
nominal working hours of less than
"a per week: $50 per cent worked "A
hours or less per week. while 2l.3 per
cent worked 60 hours or over per week.
The productive work of prisoners in
Federal and State prisons was carried
ON under several systems. namely.
State use, State account, contract. piece
price and public works and ways. OF
particular interest is the distinction be-
tween the State-use system and the
State-account system. In the former
system. all products are used in State
institutions and none is sold in the
open market. Under the State-ac-
count system. prison products are Of
fered for sale and thus come into COM
petition with products Of free labor
and industry. The 1882 survey showed
an increase in the State-use system at
the expense of the State account sys-
tenn In 1923. SIS per cent of all pro-
ductive labor in the State and Federal
prisons were working under the State
use system. In 1882 this percentage
had risen to 65.
The bureaus study also covered city
and county jails. 1t was found, how
ever, that while the city and county
jails were important as regards the