SIR WILLIAM SOWDEN

Otago Witness, Issue 3595, 6 February 1923, Page 23

SIR WILLIAM SOWDEN

AN OBSERVANT VISITOR. FORESTRY \ND PRISON METHODS. VI hen he retired from the position of editor-in-chief of the Adelaide Register, the Evening Journal, and the Observer at the end of last year. Sir William Sowde.i decided to devoto himself to the higher branches of literature and to various reforms which would be for the welfare of his feilowmen. In furtherance of this objective he travelled across to Wellington to attend the sittings of the Science Congress, and since then he has been making a tour of the dominion for the purpose of investigating, as an honorary representative of the South Australian Government, the forestry methods practised in this country and also our system of prison administration. In due course these inquiries brought Sir William Sowden to Dunedin, and in a brief interview with a Daily Times reporter on Saturday morning he had a number of interesting observations to make as the result of his investigations, much of his information deriving a special value from the fact that he ,vas able to base comparisons on a previous personal knowledge of the conditions in the dominion. Sir William recalled with pleasure the circumstance that he had met Sir George Fenwick on one of the western war fronts, and he added that he had been greatly delighted to renew the acquaintance. PROGRESS OF AFFORESTATION. Sir William Sowden has a very keen realisation of the importance of afforestation. especially in such-a country as Australia, and as president of the South Australian Forest League he has rendered much valuable service, not only to the settlers of the present day, but also to posterity. Speaking of the conditions which he tound in New Zealand, lie said that we had made very great advances here, particularly recently. In common with Mr Entrican. who had accompanied him on his tour, and who had been verv helpful and courteous, he was specially interested in those aspects of the inquiry which appealed most to the people of South Australia — namely, the engineering part of forestry, the treatment of by-products and the discovery of diseases and parasites with a view to their elimination. He thought the forest trees in New Zealand were affected bv diseases and parasites to a orreater extent than was the case in Australia, and as an example he instanced the bluegums, which were affected by no fewer than 11 predatory pests. ‘'No doubt.” added Sir William, “your forestry experts will overcome these diseases, and T am sure .that the league in South Australia will he able to profit by the observations which we have made already.” The visitor went, on to say that in South Australia they aimed at the development of the forestry areas by private companies. One of the largest concerns engaged in this enterprise was tire Zinc Corporation of Broken Hill, which thinned out the trees, developed what w’as usable, and planted other trees with a view to their utilisation for mining purposes. Already this system had been in operation for some years at one of their natural forests, and the nrosneefs were distinctly encouraging. In New Zealand afforestation seemed to be conducted on right lines, but in the broadcasting of the seeds of trees the dominion might he able to profit by the example of the South Australian authorities. By this method the results that were likely to be obtained in a given locality were known automatically, and it was possible to ascertain the kind of tree best suited to the natural conditions and the number of trees that were likely fo succeed. In the course of his investigations Sir William was accorded the greatest assistance by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Forestry (Sir Francis Bell). Captain Ellis (the Director of Forestry), Mr Turner (Secretary of the Department), and Mr Entrican. On his return to Adelaide he will prepare a report for the South Australian Government setting forth the result of his observations in the dominionOUR PRISON METHODS PRAISED. Another matter in which Sir William Sowden takes a deep interest is the reform of the prison system in South Australia—an interest which has been revealed in a practical form by the addition of a criminological investigation to his other inquiries. In Adelaide Sir William is president of the Howard Society, a branch of the London organisation which concerns itself with the reform of prison methods, and also the Prisoners’ Aid Society, a similar organisation to that which is doing a very fine w'ork here. “We have a great deal to learn from your prison methods,” he said. “Whereas our svstom is almost wholly punitive you have developed the probationary svsteni fo a very large and though it is a matter requiring careful consideration it seems to me that the results are highly gratifying. As for vonr system of prison farming, under which the prisoners are put to some useful rural occupation instead of being cooped on behind prison walls, I had a wonderful illustration at Paparoa, where two and ahalf miles of shingle land have been transformed into a veritable garden under the direction of Mr Knight, the extremely versatile superintendent, wdio gives effect to the ideas and suggestions of the Controller of Prisons, Mr Matthews. We have seen nothing of that kind in South Australia, and the degree of liberty allowed to the prisoners at Paparoa struck me as very remarkable. Tt is the difference between trusting to honour and not trusting to honour. We Jo not trust to honour. When our men are at work they are guarded by warders with loaded rifles.” DUNEDIN ART GALLERY. The variety of Sir William’s interests is further demonstrated bv the f act that he is president of the Slate National Art Gallery. Museum, and Public Library, and it was therefore natural that he should pay a visit to the Dunedin Art Gallery. His tribute fo the works of art displayed there was very frank and cordial. “I was really astonished,” he said, “to see the class of pictures you have here, and to note the repi-esentative nature of the collection, which includes examples of the work of many of the best-known artists in the world. I did -not notice a really weak picture in the whole collection, anil some of them are extraordinarily good. In the local section, which is stronger than in almost any of the Australian cities, there is a portrait by Mr O’Keefe of a m-an receiving news of the death of his son, which is most outstanding. I do not know anything in Australian portraiture that is superior fo it. There are, in addition, several other very fine portraits. Generally speaking, it seems to me that the col-

lection has boon made with great judgment, and if human nature is the same here as in other parts of the world the trustees must have had occasion more than once to refuse pictures." Although he is a busy man Sir William Sowden has found lime to take a prominent part in the development of the Boy Scout movement in South Australia, where he is Acting Chief Scout at the present time. During his visit to New Zealand he has been collecting ail the available information about the movement with a view to perfecting the organisation in South Australia, Sir William Sowden left Dunedin for f hristchureh by the second express on Saturday morning, ami i hence he will go to Hanmer. After completing some final inquiries in Wellington he will probably leave for Australia about the end of the week.