PRISON-MADE GOODS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 108, 3 November 1908, Page 2

PRISON-MADE GOODS.

! IMPORTATION PROHIBITED. From Ist November the importation of prison-made goods into New Zealand has been prohibited, as a result of an Order-in-Council gazetted on 30th July last. In that Order the prohibited goods are defined as :— " Goods manufactured or produced wholly or in part by prison labour, or which have been made within or in connection with any prison, gaol, or penitentiary ; also goods similar in character to those produced in such institutions when sold or offered for sale by any person, firm, or corpora- j tion having a contract for the 'manufacture of such articles in such institutions, or by any agent of such person, firm, or corporation, or when such goods were originally purchased from or transferred by any such contractor." I By a subsequent Order-in-Council, gazetted on 17th September last, the prohibition does not apply to goods i supplied in fulfilment of contracts sent from New Zealand on or before 30th July, 1908, provided that they are imported on or before 28th February, 1909. i Enquiries go to show that the prisonmade goods against which the prohibition is directed all come from America, and consist chiefly of forks, hoes, rakes, and other agricultural and horticultural implements. These have been imported for j several years past by many of the large wholesale firms of New Zealand in large •quantities. No statistics have been kept by the Customs Department of the extent of the importations, chiefly because the firms which send such articles to New Zealand contend that the articles are Inade by "free" labour, although they admit having contracts for prison-made goods. That accounts for the wording of the Order-in-Council, which prohibits the importation of goods from firms having contracts for articles made by prisonlabour. Canada has already taken a similar step — in fact, the Order-in-Council is practically a copy of tho Canadian regulation on the ssubjectt t