PRISON LABOR

Evening Star, Issue 14038, 20 April 1909, Page 8

PRISON LABOR

[Special to the Star.] INVRRCARGILL, April 20For over twenty-five years prison labor has been utilised to the great advantage of Invercargill, and the market gardens laid out some short time ago have become a highly profitable enterprise. At present some five and a-half acres are under cultivation, and a surprising quantity of vegetables was obtained during the season from that small area, including three tons of vegetable marrows, a ton and a-quarter of green peas, a ton and a-half of rhubarb. a ton and a-quarter of onions, 25,000 cabbages and cauliflowers, 15,000 punches of carrots and parsnips, and similar quantities of other seasonable commodities. Most of the output goes to Timaru, ; while the remainder is disposed of locally and at the Bluff. During the year closed £4OO was received from this source, while the total cost (seed and manure) was under £4O, thus leaving a net profit to the authorities of over £360. So far this year ! over £IOO has been received from the same I source. The advantages ‘of market gardening, according to the authorities, as a prison labor cannot be beaten, because it competes with no one but the Chinese, and | it almost makes the gaol self supporting.