PRISONERS' WAGES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18075, 25 October 1920, Page 5

PRISONERS' WAGES

EXTENSIONS OF THE SYSTEM (From Otjb Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, October 22. Xhe extensions of the wages system for prisoners, whether undergoing reformative treatment, sentences of hard labour, or for declared habitual criminals, have been deaided upon by the Prisons Department. The Minister in Charge of the Department (the lion. J. G. Coates) stat-ecl to-day that in the prisons report and in the Budget it was indicated that it wap proposed to provule for tho payments for prisoners, and that portions of these payments would be available for the dependents. The regulations at present in force merely provide that the habitual criminal and "the man undergoing reformative treatment shall receive payment under the wages system The man sentenced to a term of hard labour receives no more than a gratuity upon discharge. All prisoners are now to be placcd upon the same footing. They will receive 6s per day as a basis, and after that by a system of marks according to conduct, they will be able to turn a further shilling a day, and still another shilling up to a maximum of eight shillings a dav It is intended that one-half of these earnings shall be paid over to the dependents and one-half retained for maintenance and supervision. It follows that if a man works we!l it will bo possible for his dependents to receive approximately 25s a week. The new system comes into operation from January 1 next. When it is shown that tho prisoner has dependents ho will commence to bo paid wages after the first three months of the senteiico have been served, the minimum of six shillings a day being paid at the outset. If the reports of the officer in charge of the man are satisfactory the further shilling will be paid after one month and a further month of satisfactory result* will enable him to receive the maximum" Over-tame where necessary, shall be paid at the rate of one shilling an hour. Competent tradesmen will be paid an additional two shillings a day, and the same addition will bo made to men who are carrying out work of special value to the department. Tho reoommendations upon which the new system is based conclude bv the statement that as all classes of prisoneis with dependents are Being placed upon an equality, it will be therefore impossible to deny to hard labour prisoners without dependents equality of treatment with the other offenders in the same category.