28 
BULLETIN 414, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Example II. The effect of a large amount of lost time upon the 
cost of work by convict labor is very apparent in Table 7 of unit costs 
of work performed in the State of Washington by honor convicts, 
free day labor, and contract labor on the Olympic, Pacific, and other 
highways. In explanation of the results accomplished with convict 
labor the biennial report of the State highway commissioner is quoted 
as follows with regard to the Olympic highway work: 
The excavation work during the winter months was entirely in earth. The earth, 
which is classified as common excavation, is a material composed of a mixture of soil 
and gravel, resting on a cemented gravel or hardpan foundation, which slopes toward 
the road and water's edge. Owing to the porous nature of the soil and the impervious 
foundation below, a large amount of surface water is retained, thus causing many 
slides. During the winter months these slides were a continual source of expense. 
Great quantities of soft earth intermingled with trees, stumps, and brush would come 
down on the road, and in some instances destroy the finished roadbed. When the 
conditions would permit, the men worked even though it rained, with comparatively 
little ill-feeling toward their position. At times the material became so soft that it 
would run from the shovels and resemble mortar more than earth and the men sank 
halfway to their knees in the mire. Dining the month of January it rained continu- 
ously for 25 out of 27 days and working under such unfavorable conditions, the best 
of efforts accomplished but little, much time necessarily being lost * * *. 
And in regard to the Pacific highway work : 
About the same general conditions surrounded this work as that on the Olympic 
highway, but the excavation was in a different class of material and the slides did not 
interfere with the progress of the work. Over half of the excavated material was solid 
rock and could be handled more economically during the wet weather than the earth. 
Table 7. — Unit costs of work on certain highvjays in the State of Washington. 
Items of work. 
Convict labor. 
Olym- 
pic 
high- 
way. 
Pacific 
high- 
way. 
Day labor. 
Olym- 
pic 
high- 
way. 
Pacific 
high- 
way. 
Nat- 
ional 
park 
high- 
way. 
Contract labor. 
Olym- 
pic 
high- 
way. 
Olym- 
pic 
high- 
way. 
Sunset 
high- 
way. 
Mc- 
Clel- 
lan 
pass 
high- 
way. 
Common excavation, cubic 
yards SO. 446 
Loose rock excavation, cubic 
yards 645 
Solid rock excavation, cubic 
yards 1.02 
Clearing, acres 110. 18 
Grubbing, acres ,174. 20 
SO. 304 
.559 
112. 43 
155. 67 
S 0. 21 
.37 
92.44 
113.44 
SO. 38 
.50 
.94 
61.10 
87.10 
SO. 226 
.857 
SO. 31 
.45 
1.50 
126. 44 200. 00 
257.29 ' 300.00 
SO. 325 
.50 
.90 
75.00 
110.00 
SO. 28 
.48 
.88 
150. 00 
150.00 
SO. 35 
.40 
1.00 
175.00 
150.00 
On the other hand, it is stated that the contract and free day-labor 
work was conducted only during the summer when weather condi- 
tions were favorable. As a further aid to the intelligent comparison 
of the data in Table 7, it is stated that the prevailing cost of free labor 
was $2.50 per eight-hour day, and of a double team and driver $5 per 
eight-hour day, whereas the equivalent cost of the convict's labor was 
approximately $1.58 per day as shown in Table 4. 
