PRISON PROBLEMS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 276, 14 August 1908, Page 9

PRISON PROBLEMS.

THE TREE-PLANTING STATIONS. \ STATEMENT BY THE HON. J. M'GOWAN. (liY TELEGRAPH —PUESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, August 13. "Much has been said of the prison camp system, but 1 hold as emphatically as ever that the system is a good one, and that it is a success, and will continue to be such," said the Hon. James M'Gowan, Minister for Justice, in answer to a query raised this morning, referring to the escapo df tho man Easton, who was yesterday sentenced to ail additional threo years' imprisonment. Mr. M'Gowan said that he did not attach a vast amount' of importance to the occurrence.' It was admittedly r'egrettablo, and there was no doubt that the authorities had been misled in allowing such a man to go out to the prison camp. Such- an experience as this,' he added, lyould ensure a more rigid system of selection.

"We have, given a great deal of attention to this question of dealing with men who are not to be regarded as out-and-out criminals. The American and. English systems havo been fully inquired into, and wo have collected, all the information possible. Taking for consideration the various methods of treating those, sentenced for minor offences I am-convinced that the New Zealand system of sending the men out to tree-planting stations 'is eminently 'satisfactory, and far superior to anything practised elsewhere. Wo inquired very carefully into, the Borstal systom, • and, after duo consideration, camo, to tho conclusion that we would not introduce it . into New Zealand prisons. In America 3 r ou have free prison labour competing, with outside manufacturers, and that method oven affects England and the colonies, cheap pri-son-made goods being exported from America to all parts of the world. All things con-, sidered, I am of the opinion it is not desirable that the Borstal system should bo introduced to our prisons, and I am convinced that in countenancing the' tree-plant-ing stations we have made tho best attempt so far at dealing in a humano way with ono of the, greatest prison problems."