The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, MAY 12, 1913.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3829, 12 May 1913, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, MAY 12, 1913.

The suggestion which was made at the

Why not in Gisborne?

Chamber oil Commerce meeting on Friday to the effect that male in-

mates of the local prison should now bo .required to do beautifying work in and about tho town is one that is certain, wo should say, to meet with the hearty support of tho community. It is unfortunately the position that this important centro is, we regret to say, far behind most, other places ofl similar size in regard to works of beautification. Unhappily, too, so much money is still required to provide such necessities as good roads, etc., in this borough

that it will apparently, be a.long time before the civic authorities will be able to devote as much attention to this particular matter as the residents would like to be the case. What is more, useful work of this important nature is, of courso, being done every day by prisoners in most other towns which have a gaol; It is, no doubt, the position that prior to the establishment of the new gaol here tho proposal that lias just been made would not have been feasible on account of the fact that sufficient prison labor would not have been available locally. Now, however, there is accommodation in this centre for at least nine male prisoners, and it may bo calculated that as prisoners sentenced up to three months may henceforward bo detained in the local “house of correction” instead of being sent to Napier a large proportion of the local cells may bo constantly in occupation. As is wellknown. prison gangs engaged in outside work usually comprise, sav, upwards of 10 men in the large centres. It seems to us, however, that as such a large gang may not bo available here a very great deal of useful work could be done locally, if, say, a working gang of five or six were always available. So far as tho Prisons Department is concerned, then, no difficulty, it would appear, would bo likely to present itself except, of course, that It would be necessary to station an extra warder or two at tho local prison. But nothing, however, can be done m this direction until, first of all, a request be made to the proper authorities. The proper source from which such an application should emanate is,the Borough Council, and we should like to see the matter taken up without any undue delay. Other towns have, as is well-known, benefited considerably in consequence of prison labor having been available for useful as well as works. In Wanganui, especially, much lias been done with the aid of prison labor in the direction of beautifying the reserves. Then, again, at Wellington hundreds of thousands of bricks are being made for State buildings in this way, and there is now a movement afoot with a view to prison labor being employed in beautifying the surrounding hills. Invercargill has had much to gain by prison labor being available. It is to labor of this character that the southern town is indebted, inter alia, for several magnificent street-wide masonry bridges. The big prison at Invercargill was, if we remember aright, built by prison labor. 1’ or many months also prison gangs have been carrying out luige reclamation works for the Borough under a promise that, when they are completed, the Department is to receive COO acres of tho land. Auckland, again, is having her new prison erected by prison labor, and in the past has had many of her reserves consderably improved in a similar way. What lias been done at Napier, Timaru, New Plymouth, and other centres is also quite well known. On behalf of the State, too, afforestation work has, for example, been successfully carried out by prison labor in ihe Rotorua district and'on the Hanmer Plains. Now what, might we ask, can lie found for the short-service prisoners here to do if no attempt be. made by the municipal authorities to avail themselves of the local prison labor? Practically nothing. It is, indeed, the position that until a sufficient quantity of clay and loam is secured even gardening work will be out of the question at the gaol! Perhaps time may be found to discuss tbo matter at an early meeting of the Borough Council.