OCR Text |
Show AS TO PIfclSOX LABOR. Report Sent by the Industrial Com-mission Com-mission to Congress. Washington April 25. The Industrial commission to-day sent to congress Ks report .on prison labor. In summing up its conclusions, the commission says all prisoners should be engaged in productive pro-ductive labor, arid that . the ctates .Ciould havo absolute control of their care. Their employment, wKh the intention in-tention cf producing revenues, the report re-port says, tend.3 to the greatest competition compe-tition with free labor, .and detracts from the punitive reformatory and disciplinary discipli-nary features cf the prisons. Employment of prisoners on public works has the-leat tendency to competition' compe-tition' with free labor. In order to harmonize har-monize the antagonistic interests of the different states, the industrial operations opera-tions of penal and like institutions in each should be under the supervision of a central office. Adoption of laws embracing em-bracing the principles mentioned hau been retarded by various conditions in many of the states. The adoption of uniform legislation, the report sayts, is the only remedy for existing abuse.s. The'Commfes-ion submits sub-mits general provisions of law, mainly from the New York statute, and recommends rec-ommends that such part Phall be embodied em-bodied in the laws of the different states as is found possible. The interdiction of interstate commerce com-merce in all goods, etc., the product of convict lab-, uDnlemen'ted by state - 's. legislation, would be the nearest to a complete remedy for evila of convict labor competition, but in the absence of such laws the most practical step would be an act making euch goods upon their arrival in any state subject to ito laws. Commissioners Smytihe and Harris dissent from that portion of the report recommending an interdiction of prison goods, and Mr. Smythe also dissents from -the recommendation fixing eight hours for a day's work for prisoners. |