BORSTAL VISITED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 15, 18 July 1939, Page 14

BORSTAL VISITED

COUNTRYWOMEN'S INTEREST

The Women's Division of the Farmers' Union have taken a keen inter- • est in many national questions, not directly connected with'farming, and at their conferences discussions have been held on a varied list of questions. There are among the delegates several women Justices of the Peace, j and one matter they talked of was the , Borstal Institution and its place in the life of the people. On Sunday, through the consideration of Mr. B. L. Dallard!, Under--1 Secretary of the Justice Department, i a party of ten was taken out to the Borstal at Point Halswell to pay a visit of inspection. In the party, besides the controller, were Mrs. Schmid, wife of the Consul for Switzerland, Mrs. Sprott and Mrs. Blaythwait (Wellington), Mrs. W. E. Carter (Eltham), Mrs. C. Benton (Auroa), Mrs. Clark (Napier), and the district nurse from Gisborne. They were piloted round the home by the matron (Miss Sewell), and were intensely interested in the progress of the girls sent to the institution as they passed from one house to another. After a dainty afternoon tea Mr. Dallard expressed the appreciation of himself and the Department to find such a keen interest taken by members of the union, and assured them that their visit was welcomed. He briefly described the system adopted and the work done and said that the proof of its efficiency and lasting effect was shown in the fact that only a small percentage of the girls going through Borstal failed to make good. There were no active means adopted of keeping the girls but in the course of three years only one had made an escape and she had later returned voluntarily. Ih thanking the members of the party for their interest, Mr. Dallard said he hoped the country women would endeavour to help by seeing if places could be found for girls whose time had expired. Mrs. Carter briefly returned thanks ; for the privilege accorded the party j and referred to similar institutions she I , had visited in Australia, adding that ' the New Zealand system was equal '. at least T to any other she had seen. A brief visit was paid to the men's prison and to the very excellent nur- ■ scry for New Zealand trees and 1 shrubs, under care of the men, and ■ the party then returned to the city, 1 after a visit that was full of interest to all.