Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1934-07-20
Code Board Rule
| On Prison Goods
Will Keep Prisoners Busy
Without Competing
With Free Labor

Washington-Ihe nations peno-
logists were reported closer to
solving their ~perplexing old prob
lem of keeping prison inmates busy
and simultaneously preventing their
manufactured products from cult
ing into the field of free labor and
industry
A struggle which began early in
the 10Th century and has con-
tinued ever since is now yielding to
a new line of attack, encompassing
negotiation through the prison
labor board authority. This board
was established under NRA to ad-
minister a code of fair competition
for prison industries.
Twenty-nine states signed the
compact, including all but three Of
those whose penal institutions pro-
duce articles sold on ire open
market. They have dumped their
common problems into one heap
for a collective solution. The fed
eral government also joined in the
compact.
The most important clause in
the NRA code is one assuring pri-
son made goods "shall be sold not
lower than the fair current price
prevailing in the market in which
the product is customarily solo,
To administer this the authority
was given power to determine the
prices at which prison-made goods
should be sold, after comforting
with the free industries producing
the same items.
In its two months of life, the pri-
son authority has been busiest carry
ing this clause into effect, and from
it have grown its greatest accom-
plishments.
An initial survey showed 50 diff
ferent articles were manufactured
in various prisons, with a few such
as cotton garments, boots and shoes,
brooms, brushes and binder Irvine,
dominating the field.
Customarily they were placed
on the market at a price which in
Guiding a very small labor charge,
in which no allowance whatsoever
was made for light, heat, purchase
and depreciation of machinery and
other items of overhead.
The authority promptly began
consultations with representatives
of the codes covering the 50 items
and by agreement began working
out price figures for the prison
which would not inter-
fere with the output of private
business. This phase of the work
now is almost completed. With this
problem all but out of the way the
authority is turning to others tasks
for it in the compact,
chief of which is the Investigation
of prison industries.
"Diversifcation will have i'm
portant and beneficial results"
B. Gill. economic advisor
to the authority and a former pri-
son warden, said today. with a
possibility of 50 industries there is
no reason why competition should
lean heavily on any one line of
"And with many lines of prison
work installed it is possible to pro-
vide the prisoners with a variety of
types of vocational and trade train
ing looking to their rehabilitation
and teaching them to ear a living
their terms have been served.
eft may be good business for the
prisons of a state to produce, but a
item, but it's bad penology."
Taking the 50 industries already
installed in the, prisons as a basis the
is compiling data on how
individual prisons car best intro
duce a number of them. 1t is max
ing ready to assume the function
of a clearing house for advise upon
problem.
The MIRA code, incidentally, pro-
vides for maximum hours and
many other things included in the
usual code of fair competition for
private business. AS a results pri-
son products manufactured under
the code may carry the Blue Eagle
An effort industry was made
by the cotton goods industry to
prevent this, but General John
son ruled otherwise. 49,.