PRISON LABOUR

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 16 December 1920, Page 5

PRISON LABOUR

PAYMENT OF WAGES.

(Bf TEUn>(APH—PTIKSH \SSOCI\TION ") WELLINGTON, Dec. 15. Regulations for the administration of legislation, passed by Parliament last session, giving power to the Prisons Department to pay wages under certain conditions to able-bodied prisoners, have been approved by the Governor-General. The main principles of the new legislation are the payment of hard-work-ing prisoners for their labour, and to provide for the maintenance of their dependants. The scheme marks a further advance in the work of the Prisons Department, which in recent years has been remodelled for the bringing into operation of modern reformative methods in the treatment of prisoners. Persons undergoing sentences of imprisonment, including those sentenced ; to reformative detention, or declared I habitual offenders, will be paid for their labour at scale rate, assessed under the marks system at Id. Men who are skilled in any trade or occupation upon reception, or who afterwards become so skilled, may be paid at the rajj£ of Ifd per *mark when employed at such trade. or occupation, upon a recommendation to that effect being made by the controlling officer to the Controller-General. During the first calendar month after passing out of the probationary grade, every prisoner shall be alioteci S1?. ma^ ksppr.€r diem for «ach- day upon which his industry i s exemplary and his conduct^ good. The. number may rise gradually to a maximum of nine marks per day. Prisoners who have dependants shall be paid in addition to the industry and conduct wage a daily wage, which will be used a,s the Minister directs for the support of dependants. The wage will be fro m is to Is 3d per mark, with some payment for overtime. * *