(C.)

STATEMENT

Containing answers to the circular issued by the agent of the State Prison at Auburn, during the year 1834.

Extracts from letters in answer to the following inquiries contained in the foregoing circular.

"Third: Are there any articles manufactured in the prisons of this State sold in your place? and if so, what kinds and to what amount per annum?"

"Fourth: Does the mechanical business of the prisons injuriously affect the interests of the mechanics in you place? and if so, is it in the price, or quantity brought into your market, or any other cause?"

Letter No. 1.-From a genteman in Madison county.

3d Inquiry—“I know of none, excepting some liquor barrels, not many of them."

4th Inquiry" Do not know of any injury to mechanics here." Letter No. 2.-From a gentleman in Oneida county.

3d Inquiry

None."

4th Inquiry-" It can injure them only by a general depreciation of price, of which we are not aware; they are however much excited on the subject."

Letter No. 3.-From a gentleman in Oneida county.

3d Inquiry-"I know of none, except possibly some trace chains; and this is uncertain, as all rough cheap chains are called State Prison chains."

(Note-No trace chains made in this prison.)

4th Inquiry-"I do not believe it injuriously affects the interests of mechanics of this place; they make no complaint."

"I have showed your circular to a number of our most respectable inhabitants, as they were present when I received it; they all thought the excitement without cause; that they would, if they had an opportunity, sign a remonstrance against the mechanical branches being discontinued in the prisons; that if stopped, the competition from other States would keep the prices equally low; that they do not wish to be taxed to support convicts in idleness, &c."

Letter No. 4. From a gentleman in public business in Onondaga county.

3d Inquiry-" There are none of the articles manufactured in the prisons sold in this place, as a class, or by that distinctive [Senate No. 13.]

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character, to my knowledge; though it may be true that our merchants purchase them at New-York and retail them here."

4th Inquiry-"If I am correct in the answer to the third question, the mechanical business of the prisons does not, in any essential degree, injuriously affect the mechanical interests of this place."

Letter No. 5.-From a gentleman in Morrisville, Madison county.

3d Inquiry" No articles manufactured in the State Prisons sold in this place."

4th Inquiry-"A comb maker in this village says his business is injured by the same business being carried on in the State Pri

son.

Letter No. 6.-From a gentleman of Caroline in Tompkins county.

3d Inquiry-"There are no articles manufactured in the State Prisons, sold in our town that I know of."

4th Inquiry-"It does not more injuriously affect the interests of the mechanics of this town than it should do, in my estimation." Letter No. 7.-From a gentleman in Eaton, Madison county. 3d and 4th Inquiries-"A small amount of combs-no interference-some wood ware-no injury."

Letter No. 8.-From a gentleman in public life at East Bloomfield, Ontario county.

3d Inquiry-"None."

4th Inquiry-" No.”

Letter No. 9.-From a gentleman at York Mills, Oneida county. 3d Inquiry-" There are combs only sold here. The amount sold is from $200 to $300 per annum."

4th Inquiry-"It does not."

Letter No. 10.-From a gentleman at Leonardsville, Madison county.

3d Inquiry" There are no articles, manufactured in the prisons, sold in our place, to any considerable amount."

4th Inquiry-"It does not either in price, quantity or any other known cause."

Letter No. 11. From a gentleman in Richland, Oswego county. 3d Inquiry-"A few combs and other small articles are brought along by pedlers; and one or two families have some cabinet ware said to be manufactured in the prison."

4th Inquiry-"The mechanics here care very little about the prison work. I do not think it injures them one dollar in a year." Letter No. 12.-From a gentleman of Binghamton, Broome county.

3d Inquiry-"There are few, if any, of the productions of the prisons sold in this place; a few wooden pails and tubs, perhaps, but not to any extent."

4th Inquiry-" The mechanics of this place are not injured by it at all; and I have never heard the subject mentioned by any one mechanic to my recollection."

Letter No. 13.-From a gentleman at Sherwood corners, Cayucounty.

3d Inquiry" There are no articles, manufactured in the prisons, sold in this place or vicinity to my knowledge."

4th Inquiry-The writer thinks it does injuriously affect the interests of mechanics (by depreciating the prices) in the vicinity of the prisons; but not beyond twenty-five or thirty miles distant. "Unless (he says) a depot of prison ware was kept within every thirty miles extent of country, I should think it had but little or no effect upon the mechanics," generally.

Letter No. 14. From a gentleman at Five Corners, Cayuga county.

3d Inquiry" There are some articles sold in this place such as pails, wooden ware, bed-ticking, &c., amount perhaps $50 a year." 4th Inquiry" Should not think the mechanical business of the prison injured any mechanic living near this place."

Letter No. 15.-From a gentleman in Clarkson, Monroe county. 3d Inquiry" Nay."

4th Inquiry-"Nay."

Letter No. 16.-From a gentleman in Homer, Cortland county. 3d Inquiry-"There has been a few chairs, combs and plated hard ware, of the manufactory of your prison sold here-understand saddlery hard ware and saddle-trees, to the amount of about $300 the last year. Perhaps other articles, say $50.”

4th Inquiry "I do not think that in injures the interests of the mechanics here much if any. There is not enough brought here to affect the price. I do not know of any branch of mechanical business here that is lower than it was before the Auburn prison was erected."

Letter No. 17.-From a gentleman at Rochester, Monroe county.

3d Inquiry" There are, occasionally, articles brought to our market and sold; such as pails, tubs, churns, &c.; and really, I look upon the transactions, including all the wares from both prisons, so far as this place is concerned, of a limited extent."

[Note-None of the above articles, made in this prison, are sent out of Cayuga county for sale.]

4th Inquiry "I think I am warranted in answering in the negative; and because, when disposed of at retail here, the prices I believe to be fair ones, and the amount so limited, that it cannot, in any wise, counterbalance the great good to be derived by prosecuting the work at the prisons."

Letter No. 18.-From a gentleman in Phelps, Ontario county. 3d and 4th Inquiries-" There are but very few articles sold in this place; and I have never heard any complaints by the mechanics of this place, that it injuriously affects their interests."

Letter No. 19. From a gentleman in Collinsville, Lewis county. 3d Inquiry" None sold in this place, nor am I aware that any is sold in the county."

4th Inquiry-I am not sensible that the prison mechanical labor produces any injury on citizen labor; and, so far as my observa

tion and information extend, am satisfied it does not operate to reduce the price of mechanical labor, to any considerable degree, if at all. The few employed in the prisons in comparison to the number in community and the want of articles, and many of the convicts at branches that few others do or would follow, appears to me to be sufficient to satisfy many complaints raised against the present mode of employing convicts."

Letter No. 20.-From a gentleman at Western, Oneida county. 3d Inquiry" There are no articles manufactured in the State Prisons, that are sold here, that I know of."

4th Inquiry-"I do not think the mechanical business in the prisons has any injurious effect on the mechanics of this place." Letter No. 21.-From a gentleman in Coventry, Chenango county.

3d Inquiry-"Combs and chairs, perhaps $100.” 4th Inquiry" Not at all, in any way."

Letter No. 22.-From a gentleman in Tully, Onondaga county. 3d and 4th Inquiries-"There is the article of combs; to what amount I cannot say. Yet I am of the opinion that they do not undersell, and of course do not injure other manufacturers. The greatest complaint is from cabinet and chair makers. The greater part of cabinet and chair furniture sold in this section is from your place; and the purchasers say that they can purchase at a much lower rate than our manufacturers say they can afford to manufacture, and is to them a great injury. The same may be said of harness makers." [Note-Harness making has not been carried on in this prison for many years, if ever.}

Letter No. 23.-From a gentleman at Manlius, Onondaga county.

3d Inquiry-"I can learn of none."

4th Inquiry-"The mechanics say it does in the price."

Letter No. 24.-From a member of the Legislature, in St. Lawrence county.

3d Inquiry" Very few, if any, articles manufactured in the State Prison, are sold in this section of the country."

4th Inquiry-"No injury is sustained."

Letter No. 25.-From a gentleman at Ovid, Seneca county. 3d Inquiry-"Combs, shoes, pails, cabinet furniture and chairs; the amount very considerable, compared with the whole quantity purchased."

4th Inquiry" It does injuriously affect the interests of the mechanics of this place, by the cheapness of the article, and also by the extent of the quantity."

Letter No. 26. From a gentleman at Mendon, Monroe county. 3d Inquiry." There have been some few articles sold here, but not to much extent; none to my knowledge, this three years, with the exception of some furniture that a gentleman of this place bought at the prison; and a clergyman's coat, I understand, was made at the prison."

4th Inquiry-"So far as my knowledge extends, mechanics are not materially injured here, if at all."