PRISON INDUSTRIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 50, 27 August 1938, Page 14

PRISON INDUSTRIES

VALUE EMPHASISED

REHABILITATION OF MEN

The importance of prison industries in the rehabilitation of prisoners was emphasised by the Minister of Justice (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason) during the discussion on the Justice and Prisons Vote in the House of Representatives yesterday. Replying to an Opposition question as to the competition of prison industries with outside industries, the Minister said there had been little complaint during his term of office, chiefly because the population of prisons tended to decrease and the utmost difficulty was being experienced in carrying on the industries for lack of prisoners. As would be seen from the Department's report, the financial results of prison industries were quite satisfactory, but they were not the primary purpose of the industries. Orderly, regulated work was the first essential in the rehabilitation of prisoners. That was the reason why the industries were carried on, but they were so ordered as to give quite good financial results, said the Minister. TOBACCO CULTURE. An item of £100 for tobacco culture and manufacture led Opposition members to inquire as to the extent to which tobacco growing was undertaken on prison farms. Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (National, Riccarton) expressed the hope that it was not compulsory for prisoners to smoke only the leaf grown on the prison farms, and he was informed by the Minister that there was no such compulsion. The Minister said that he was not a smoker himself, but he had had the tobacco sampled. While it was difficult to satisfy all tastes, he was informed that the quality of the tobacco was reasonably good. Mr. W. J. Poison (National, Stratford): Could not the Minister try it on the Controller-General of Prisons? (Laughter.) The tobacco grown on the prison farms did not compete with leaf grown by private enterprise, the Minister added.