PRISON LABOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 159, 7 July 1899, Page 3

PRISON LABOUR.

Lieutenant-Colonel Hume, who has just returned to Wellington from a visit to the Australian colonies,, states that though his mission was not an official one, but made principally with the object of gaining personal information, it was on the whole attended with satisfactory results. While Lieu-tenant-Colonel Hume was able to acquire some valuable knowledge as to details, he saw nothing which led him to the conclusion that it would be necessary to remodel our own prison system in any department. He says there is no prejudice in sister colonies, such as exists in these islands, against the employment of prison labour in the prosecution of needed public works, which otherwise could not be undertaken. The result is that frequently undertakings of great value to the community are economically carried out by jjrison labour. Colonel Hume subscribes to the suggestion that it is beneficial to prisoners to be given an opportunity of interesting themselves in labour of this kind, and is far preferable to keeping them penned up at sedentary occupations or restricted to work of unvarying sameness.