WAIOTAPU' PRISON CAMP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13765, 2 June 1908, Page 5

WAIOTAPU' PRISON CAMP.

"A HOLIDAY RESORT." INVESTIGATION DEMANDED. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] New Plymouth, Monday. The Daily News, in referring to the Waiotapu tree-planting station, says: —"Despite the dogmatism and denials of the Minister for Justice (the Hon. J. McGowan) and his treatment of deputations that have on the i soundest of grounds protested that the prison camps were being misused as " holiday" resorts for criminals of the worst type, recent events have proved to the hilt either that the Minister's supervision of his Department in this connection has been perfunctory in the extreme or that he has without justification or because of lack of.knowledge made statements that have since been proved erroneous. The most serious charge against Waiotapu and similar camps is that their existence has grown to constitute a real danger to the community, in that desperate criminals in violation of the intentions of Parliament, Courts, and of public opinion have been sent there, whence they liave the best of opportunities of escaping to pursue their vocation of crime. " In view of the class of prisoner that has recently been earning notoriety for Waiotapu, it is pertinent to inquire what percentage of the. camp's population is of the hardened criminal variety, and it is to be hoped that members of Parliament will insist during the coming session on the information being supplied at an early date. '