Taranaki Herald. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1907. THE PRISONS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13499, 14 August 1907, Page 4

Taranaki Herald. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1907. THE PRISONS.

How to deal with tlie criminal population is a problem which exercises the authorities more or less in all civilized countries. New Zealand, in spite of the criticisms levelled against its system, has succeeded fairly well in dealing with the problem. Its prisons are well managed and very rarely do we hear complaints of unduly harsh treatment. On the contrary it is generally agreed that prisoners are too well treated, so that gaol has no terrors for them. As a matter of fact a well behaved prisoner in any of our New Zealand gaols has something in his lot which might well cause a feeling of envy among, his associates outside the walls. He is well fed, well housed, and not by any means overworked. Dangerous and refractory men are kept under seperatQ treatment picking oakum or at other suitable work, but the better class are employed tree-planting or at other work of an interesting nature. At Haniner, for instance, an average of about twenty-five prisoners last year were employed and they extended the telephone from the Post-office to the prison camp; cleared a large area of scrub; erected a building and a rabbit proof fence; and formed half a mile of road; besides treeplanting. At the New Plymouth prison the average number of inmates during the year was 23,58, and they were employed in improving Western Park, keeping Marsland Hill in order; and at building operations within the gaol. The. net average cost per prisoner last year was ,£25 0s 6d, Auckland showing the lowest cost with £10 3s sd, and New Plymouth the highest with £73 14s 2d. The Tatter fact presumably led Mr. Laurenson to suggest in the House last night that this gaol should be closed. Rather than that it would be better to keep the gaol occupied to its full capacity. There is accommodation for sixty-two prisoners here, and if that was fairly taken up the year round the average cost should certainly not exceed the cost at some of the larger gaols. The net cost of the Auckland gaol is low because of the large earnJ ings of the prisoners working for other departments, etc., which amounted to £6247. At Wellington £3578 was similarly earned, at Lyttelton £2966 and at Dunedin £1406, while the New Plymouth prisoners were only able to earn £160. Anyhow it would be foolish to close this gaol, which is an exceedingly well-conducted one, while the accommodation at other gaols is overtaxed. The question of the class of work given prisoners is a vexed one. It is not desired that prison labour should enter into competition with free labour in ordinary industries, but we see no reason why prisoners should not be employed making clothing for use in the gaols, as Mr. Laurenson suggests. They might also be employed at making such furniture and other things as are' required for prisoners' use. Where convenient, road-making is a suitable occupation, mbre of which might be carried on. But the prisons of the colony are in good hands and the authorities may be trusted to do what is best, both in the intrests of the prisoners and of the taxpayers .