THE CALIFORNIA PENAL SYSTEM. 647 



after many difficulties a factory was established at San Quentin. The 

 price of raw material fluctuates greatly, and the mill has sometimes 

 lost money, sometimes made a somewhat nominal profit. During the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, 1891, for instance, 2,574,254 pounds of 

 goods were manufactured at a total operating expense of $160,084.07, 

 and were sold at a price which nominally gave $40,275.07 profit. 

 But no sinking fund was allowed for, to cover wear and tear of ma- 

 chinery, nor did the operating expenses include even the mainte- 

 nance of the convicts while at work. The following fiscal year the 

 profit estimated in the same way was $39,293.18. During the fiscal 

 year 1893-'94 the loss on the jute mill was $14,660.22; in 1894-'95 

 there was a profit of $6,670.56; and in 1895-'96 a loss of $12,288.45. 



In five years, therefore, there was nominally a profit of about 

 $60,000 in this department, but since neither interest, sinking fund, 

 nor maintenance of the laborers is included among the expenses, the 

 system can be looked upon only as a means of giving needed exercise 

 to the prisoners and cheap grain sacks to the farmers. Financially it 

 is a burden to the taxpayers. The old contract system had its draw- 

 backs, but it at least afforded a profit, and gave convicts a chance 

 of learning something about certain trades at which they could per- 

 haps work when released; the jute mill not only offers no such op- 

 portunity, but is in other ways peculiarly unfit for modern prison 

 requirements, since all operations in such mills can be stopped or 

 delayed by the misbehavior of a few operatives. Far better are in- 

 dustries wherein small groups or individuals are engaged in various 

 separate minor operations. Besides this, the sacks made by prison 

 labor will probably have only local uses hereafter, because of a recent 

 act of Parliament which is held to prevent wheat shipments in such 

 sacks. 



The Folsom Prison owns a magnificent water power and enormous 

 quarries of granite. Between 1888 and 1894 convict labor amount- 

 ing to 683,555 days were expended upon a dam, canal, and power- 

 house, and over 2,000 horse power can already be used. About 250 

 horse power is now utilized by the prison for electric lights, ice 

 manufacture, and other purposes. The quarries are being worked to 

 some extent, and crushed rock for "roads is sold at cost or nearly so. 

 There is a farm that supplies many articles at less cost than if pur- 

 chased in the market, At Folsom, as at San Quentin, the authorities 

 do all in their power to economize, and to utilize convict labor, but the 

 policy of the State prevents definite progress. 



Meanwhile the reports of the prison directors and wardens and 

 the messages of Governors have urged in the strongest terms a change. 

 The biennial report of 1892-93 and 1893-94 says respecting the 

 great Folsom water power: " If we can use this power solely with re- 



