farmers" state congress. 401 



this to the cost of the brick makes the cost of the material for one mile 

 of road $6G0. Next comes the cost of transportation from the prison to 

 the point where needed. The raih'oads of Indiana would doubtless co- 

 operate in any plan of systematic road-building, as they have done in 

 Illinois, California, and other States. In California, where there is but 

 one railroad company, and that credited with being hostile to the people, 

 the material is transported from a State convict plant at the bare cost of 

 haulage, the rate being 25 cents a ton for a haul of 100 miles. Good roads 

 are important tributaries to railroads, and this accounts for their readi- 

 ness to assist in making them. At 25 cents a ton, it would cost $625 to 

 transport the brick and $326 to transport the macadam for one mile of 

 road 20 feet wide. Adding to this the cost of materials gives $1,011.12 

 as the cost of materials on board cars at the point of use. 



The cost of gi'ading, curbing and laj'ing need not exceed $600 a mile. 

 The cost of teaming varies. For an average distance of two and a half 

 miles it is 30 cents per yard for macadam. The cost of hauling the brick 

 and macadam, based on these figures, would be about $900. 



Therefore, the cost of the brick road, aside from the cost of the ma- 

 terials, would be about $1,500, or about one-half the total cost o£ the road, 

 materials and all. It is the general statement of engineers that the cost 

 of the materials is about one-half the cost of a road. 



A road of vitrified brick, which, if properly constructed, will last half 

 a century or longer, with little expense for maintenance, can then be built 

 at a cost of not over $3,100 a mile, the most of which would be for team- 

 ing, grading and the laying of the brick. For, understand, the plan pro- 

 posed does not consider that the convicts be employed except in the prep- 

 aration of the material, the latter to be furnished free to the counties. 

 All grading, teaming, bricklaying, etc., should be done by free labor, as 

 it is at present. The day of the chain-gang at work on the roadside, sub- 

 jected to the gaze and jeei's of the passerby, is, rightfully, a thing of the 

 past. . If the material is not made by free labor, such a road will never 

 be constructed in the country, as its cost would be prohibitive. 



Not only could brick and macadam be made for roadways in the 

 prison which I have in mind, but all brick, both ordinary and pressed 

 front, could be made for all public buildings, such as jails, court houses, 

 school houses, insane asylums and county infirmaries. The shale and 

 fire-clay is in every way suitable for such material, and it could be fur- 

 nished at cost, which would not be over $1.50 per thousand for the finest 

 of pressed brick. The public pay the taxes to erect such buildings, and 

 also the taxes for maintaining the prisoners; why not, then, have those 

 prisoners prepare the material for public buildings, and so lessen the tax 

 burden of the people? 



A few years ago California Avas in the same situation as Indiana is- 

 to-day. Her convicts were idle, in deference to the wishes of her labor 

 organizations. Her legislators passed a law authorizing the employment 



'2t)— Agri. 



