January 8, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



29 



passed a law, Feb. 21, 1884, abolishing the system 

 of contracting for the labor of prisoners at so much 

 per day, and followed it up with a law, dated 

 April 18 of the same year, directing the introduc- 

 tion of the 'public-account' or 'piece-price' plan, 

 as the prison authorities should decide. The con- 

 tract system, it was claimed, was the source of 

 the unfair competition complained of, and these 

 laws were passed under the agitators' influence 

 expressly to prevent such competition. 



The new law took effect on the expiration of the 

 old contracts, in July, 1885, and in the reports of 

 the prison officials for the current year we have a 

 summary of the results obtained thus far; and, 

 inasmuch as several states are having the same 

 experience as New Jersey, the conclusions reached 

 by her officials in this matter are of general politi- 

 cal as well as scientific interest. 



The ' public-account ' plan was so generally dis- 

 credited, that the officials adopted the other alter- 

 native under the law ; namely, the ' piece-price ' 

 plan. Under this system, the contractor pays a 

 fixed price per dozen, gross, or thousand for work 

 done on materials furnished by him. The intro- 

 duction of this radically new system occasioned 

 some delay for the purchase of machinery, fitting- 

 up of shops, etc., and the authorities are cautious 

 enough to state that their experience of the new 

 system has been too limited to admit of unqualified 

 indorsement or condemnation. Nevertheless, all 

 the facts and figures presented in these reports 

 point in the same direction. They prove that not 

 only does the state treasury lose largely by the 

 change from the old contract system, but that the 

 contractors are enabled to put their goods on the 

 market at a less cost for manufacturing than ever 

 before ; so that, as far as there is any competition 

 with free labor, it is greater under the ' piece-price ' 

 plan than it was before. This is a result which 

 reflects upon the sagacity of the agitators them- 

 selves ; for, if their pet system can be proved in- 

 jurious on so short a trial, their stock in trade is 

 exhausted. 



One contractor who under the former system 

 paid fifty cents per day for the labor of every con- 

 vict, skilful or unskilful, who went into his shops, 

 now averages less than half that sum per convict. 

 In one or two cases the contractors now pay a few 

 more cents per day's labor than formerly, but this 

 apparent gain results from greatly increasing the 

 quantity of the work ; so that, even with an ap- 

 parently similar financial result to the state, the 

 product is manufactured cheaper now than under 

 the contract system. 



These early conclusions from this new departure 

 are interesting. They show that the labor agita- 

 tors are many, and the mass of political scientists 



and humanitarians are right in upholding the 

 contract system as the best and most profitable 

 for the employment of convict-labor. Reasonable 

 limitations to the operation of the contract system 

 may very possibly be suggested by experience : 

 but these data from New Jersey ought to insure 

 the rejection of the ' piece-price ' plan everywhere, 

 or else some radical modifications in its details. 



Nicholas Murray Butler. 



NOTES AND NEWS. 

 There is not much to be said of the popular- 

 science articles in the December magazines, for 

 there are not many of them ; and what there are, are 

 very popular, though quite interesting. The Atlan- 

 tic adds another to the already long list of reviews 

 on the recent ' Life of Agassiz,' but fails to say, what 

 seems tolerably obvious, that the time has not 

 yet come when the value of Agassiz's scientific 

 labors, or indeed of his influence on the progress of 

 natural history in the United States, can be cor- 

 rectly estimated. John Burrows, in the Century, 

 gives, in very readable form, some notes on bud 

 enemies, — jays, owls, vermin, mice, snakes, and 

 ' collectors.' In Harpers' magazine there is a highly- 

 aesthetic article called ' A winter walk.' It is beau- 

 tifully illustrated, and well adapted to the wants of 

 ladies of scientific turn of mind. Perhaps the 

 author tried to imitate Thoreau ; but if he did, he 

 failed. To persons interested in ornithology, Mr. 

 Edward C. Bruce's article in Lippincotfs magazine, 

 on ' Birds of a Texan winter,' will doubtless be en- 

 tertaining. After mentioning a few of our birds 

 that do not migrate, Mr. Bruce goes on to tell us 

 of the northern birds he has seen in Texas during 

 the whiter, — plovers, herons, wild geese, etc. The 

 English magazines have even less than the Ameri- 

 can on natural science this month. There are 

 only two articles to be mentioned. One is by 

 Benjamin Kidd, in Longman's magazine, on the 

 'Humble-bee,' and gives some description of the 

 habits of this insect, based, it would seem, largely 

 on the author's personal observation. The other 

 is by W. Mattieu Williams, in the Gentleman's 

 magazine, and is called ' Science notes.' The 

 topics dealt with are, the origin of boracic acid, 

 meteoric explosions, magnetic sifting of meteor- 

 ites, fireproof paper structures, the future of the 

 negro, the sleep of fishes, and icebergs and 

 climate. 



— The dog by which Kaufmann, who is now in 

 Paris for treatment under Pasteur, was bitten, is 

 shown conclusively to have been mad, a dog- 

 bitten by it nearly at the same time having since 

 died of unmistakable rabies. 



— Prof. Edward Suss delivered in the Geo- 



