A NOVEL PROPOSAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 131, 4 June 1901, Page 3

A NOVEL PROPOSAL.

SIBERIA THP- SECOND

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

"Do you take us for a Ministry of cranks?" asked the Minister of Mining-, smilingly, when I drew his attention to a remarkable article in one of your goldfields contemporaries. The essay in question advocated the novel departure in industrial progress of employing certain prisoners in the work of prospecting the deep levels on the Hauraki goldfields, the idea having in all probability been sug-gested by the successful results of employing certain well-conducted prisoners in tree planting near Rotorua. The later brilliant idea was taken up and elaborated by a Wellington contemporary, which was so enamoured of the scheme that it treated it as almost "un fait accompli." In reply to further questions Mr McGowan assur-i ed your correspondent that such an erratic proposal had never been before Ministers, nor had it been discussed by them. Moreover, the scheme, is beset by so many difficulties as to render it practically impossible. First of all more warders would probably be required than the number of prisoners, and if any gold were found it would not be very' likely to reach the surface, at any rate until the finder had completed his sentence and been discharged. Again, the whole proposal savours of the worse features of the Siberian system, and any Government which dared to seriously propose it would bring a hornet's nest of public indignation upon itself. "