EMPLOYMENT OF PRISONERS FOR THE GOVERNMENT.

Early in last July, a very earnest assemblage of wardens and superintendents of prisons, and members of the American Prison Association held a conference in Washington with a view of mobilizing the prison industries so as to be helpful to the government in these times of scarcity of labor.

There were forty delegates in attendance, mainly appointed by the Governors of twenty-two States.

After discussions lasting for several sessions, the Conference was unanimous in making certain recommendations.

  1. Already the penal institutions possess enormous acreage. If the government will accept the product, the crops may be greatly increased. Over a half million acres are available and 75,000 workers.
  2. In many States, where the law permits, selected inmates can be paroled to labor for farmers at reasonable wages. Extensive development of this method is possible.
  3. Many of the prisons support industries the outcome of which may be very serviceable. Among the chief industrial products are socks, shirts, underwear, blankets, mattresses, boots and shoes, overalls, harness, and army and navy equipment.
  4. The executive order of 1905, providing that no prison-made goods shall be purchased by the National Government, ought at once to be rescinded.
  5. “We are convinced that a very large majority of the inmates of our prisons and reformatories are ready and earnestly desirous of ‘doing their bit’ for the country.”

To accomplish these results, a bill has been introduced in the U. S. Senate (S. 3076) and in the House of Representatives (H. R. 7353) whose purpose is to utilize the labor of Federal and other prisoners in manufacturing government supplies.

The prices paid are to be the market prices current in same locality for same commodities.

The hours of labor are to be the same as the time prevalent in the same vicinity for the same sort of labor.

The same rate of wages is to be paid to the prisoners, subject to the necessary deduction for maintenance.

This means that the goods purchased by the United States from the prisons shall be made by labor which is on a par with outside labor.

No goods are to be purchased by the Government from “any private person or companies using the labor” of convicts. Thus the Government utters its protest against any form of “contract labor.”

The Acting Committee of The Pennsylvania Prison Society has urged the early passage of this bill.