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Show CONVICT LABOR liKILIFOim Solves Vast Road Problem, Which Otherwise Could Not Be Handled. Special to The Tribune. WASHINGTON, July 29. Convict labor la-bor on state highways Is one means of solving California's mountain road problem, prob-lem, which has been beyond the state's resources since the "early days of gold." The convict lakes work -from no man, but builds roads that otherwise could not be built The law providing for convict road work became effective in August, 1915. Tn a bulletin of the California hfghway department sent to the national "commit- j tee on prisons, the progress of the work since that time Is described as follows: j In September the first camp of thirty men was established in north- I ern Mendocino. The scope of the ! work was gradually enlarged on a safety-first basis. We carried two camps with 125 men through the win- i ter, working every day but Sunday, through a rain and snowfall of 72 ! Inches. The men have been given sanitary camps and food that at least equal the best free labor camps. We have given . them better living and working conditions, a large measure of personal freedom, and, under the law. the crowning incentive of one day's reduction of sentence for every two days of loyal work. The laying out and direction of the . work has been in the hands of the highway commission, as well as providing pro-viding camps, commissary, etc. The discipline of the men has been in the hands of the board of prison directors, di-rectors, represented by three guards, without arms, in each camp one acting as captain of the camp, the others as sub-foremen, on the work. The humanitarian side of the work is self-evident. The men are immeasurably im-measurably bettered pnyslcally, which means mentally and morally. Constructive Con-structive work instead of the jute mill; under blue skies and among tbo beauties of mountainous California Instead, of behind stone walls; cooperating co-operating with the state instead of being outcasts of the state these things are alone worth the doing. But there is another side without which the scheme would not solve the problem for which it is intended. These men have come soft from, pris-! pris-! on to a new work under almost Impossible Im-possible weather conditions. We have supplied them with everything they have or use clothing, transportation guards, food, beds, medical attention, as well as the ordinary expense for materials and equipment for road work al! this many miles of transportation trans-portation and the winter's work shows a profit. Through the winter eight miles of difficult canvon road have been built for 25 per cent less than the estimate, and little more than half what similar work has cost on contract in the same locality. As weather conditions Improve, costs are falling and yardage increasing The success of the work in Mendocino Mendo-cino led to the placing of a crew from Fotsotn on a section of the ' Placerville road, near Shintjle Springs Only an Inadequately small amount'of maintenance funds was available for this section, hut this expedient will -give the equivalent of JlS.flOO In work for an expenditure of 500 and make possible an improved section of a needed road which otherwise must have waited for the next bond issue. The commission is now preparing to attack the Sierra lateral question by placing convict camps on each of four of these roads for active construction this summer. |