GARDEN PRISONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 68, 21 March 1910, Page 4

GARDEN PRISONS.

PROGRESS OF THE SCHEME. 'jj|| CBy Telegraph.Own Correspondent " T -,>j| ■WELLIiSrGTON,- this day. The publication of the Hon. Dr. Findlay's memorandum has stimulated still greater interest in 'the reformatory farm, ': scheme. To a "Post" reporter Dr. Find-. 01 lay outlined what is now being done in ' the South Island, and indicated the pro- |I 3 bable Course of events. in connection g|| with the new scheme. "At the present time," he said, "the Government at In- :|g| vercargill is doing splendid reformatory' 'f| ■work along some of the lines to be fol- f£ lowed by the reformatory farm scheme. >;§ There for some four years past a num- v|s ber of prisoners have been engaged in iij| vegetable gardening, and the results"Sj have been highly satisfactory, both '• > ,; naneially and from a reformatory point •ji I of- view. The gaoler, Mr. Hawkins, who Si takes a most enthusiastic interest in, <m modern prison methods, and particularly iSi in this vegetable garden system, has sat- : f isfied himself, and I think rightly, that ij one prisoner is capable of looking after M at least one acre and a-half of garden, || and that from the sale of vegetables raised, after allowing for the cost of : -|j| seed and manure, at least £75 per an- -$M num can be realised. This means that biM prisoners so employed are more than '~%4 self-supporting, while the work during 9 the past four years has been found t?;Ml| j have a marked reformatory effect." j The Minister went on to say that, as ■ •■S'jjjp far- as the scheme can be extended, ii>v;f§ will Le extended at Invercargill, and will .JJ be fully developed when the reformatory\BJl ■ farms are ready. "The work may then \ bo extended to raising fruit, poultry, v C§l and probably eggs, in addition to the-rt|i| ordinary farm produce. In other coun- • M trips this experiment has been tried \f- ! with success, and some of the garden >I|| I prisons for women have achieved won- I?||| j derful results. The most valuable effect, "\; J however, is in the influence of this train- .-'-.' j ing upon, the': character of the prisoners. J% It not only trains them in useful industry, but it promotes a love of life in. .illl the country, and checks that great ■%« source of crime—the desire to hang 1| about the cities. . '''am, "Some difficulty has been anticipated infinding a suitable area for a farm in the ''m South Island, but the Inspector of Pris- % ons is keeping the matter well before M him, and I hope that before very long §1 a suitable site will be found. Until s|| then, as I have said, the excellent 'A j prison at Invereargill must act as a 'U preliminary. In systematizing the lines v |j of my prison reform scheme, I owe a §1 very great deal to Mr.' Kayll, who is "# mainly responsible for the details by j which I hope to bring into full opera- a | tion in New Zealand the modern prison I methods I have outlined." ji