H.-20

12

The whole of the work in connection with the taking-down and re-erecting of those buildings was carried out by prison labour under the direction and control of prison officers. The work of draining and clearing the 90-acre swamp lying at the back of this property has also been put in hand. Paparua. —Work on the east cell-range, the completing of the kitchen block, and the building of several additional cottages has progressed during the year. The making of concrete blocks and concrete roofing-tiles has also progressed, the whole of the buildings at Paparua having been built with these materials. The whole of the work, including shingle-crushing, block and tile making, and building, has been carried out by prison labour under the control of officers who ate skilled tradesmen. Roadmaking and tree-planting has also received attention. The work of clearing and improving the land has been attended to. Water-supply and septic-tank building has also received attention. Roto-aira. —On tin; completion of formation-work on the Waimarino-Tokaanu Road, upon which the bulk of the prisoners had been employed for the greater part of the year, the huts and. other buildings constituting the main camp were removed to a site near the Erua Railway-station, in order that work might be commenced on a section of the main trunk road between Waimarino and Ohakune that the Prisons Department has undertaken to construct. The new site, which is known as Waikune, will be the base camp for the roadmaking and. bridge-building parties that will carry on the work when the winter season is over. In this connection the establishing of a sawmill and stone-crushing plant became necessary, and work on both projects is now under way. This section of the road presents many difficulties, both in the way of climatic conditions and in the difficult country through which the road-line passes. New Plymouth. —Quarrying and the preparation of various grades of road-forming materials is the only work which it is possible; to carry on here. Unfortunately there is nothing (rise to be done, and for the present at least there is nothing better to do. It has the advantage, at any rate, of keeping the men employed and at the same time bringing in a certain amount of revenue, but that is all that can be said of it. lnvercargill Borstal Institution. —A very large amount of useful work has been carried out during the year. The new rifle-range embankment, which has been under construction for the past three years, has now been completed. This embankment was a work of some magnitude, its length being 2,200 yards, height 10 ft., width 40ft. at the bottom and 6 ft. at the top. The area reclaimed by the wall amounts to 271 acres. About 50 chains of the eastern embankment has now been completed. This wall, which is part of the original reclamation scheme, and which when completed will protect the railway-line and properties lying to the west thereof, should be completed during the coming year. This embankment is of nearly the same dimensions as the rifle-range embankment. During the year some miles of drains have been constructed, viz. : Countour drain, lift, by 4ft. by 4 ft., 155 chains ; western wall drain, 6 ft. by 2 ft. by 3 ft., 132 chains ; drain running north, 6 ft. by 2 ft. by 3ft., 45 chains; drain running east, Bft. by 4ft. by 3ft., 70 chains; side drains on roads, 6ft. by 2 ft. by 3 ft., 30 chains. The Spey Street drain, which is 22 ft. wide at the top, 10 ft. at the bottom, and 5 ft. to 6 ft. in depth, is being cut by means of a steam-driven digging-machine, the property of the Prisons Department, which is proving itself invaluable. When completed the drain will be two miles in length, and will act as a main drainage-canal. About 75 chains of road have been formed, 30 ft. in width, for farm purposes. Flood-gates constructed of concrete have been put down at the end of various drains, the Spey Street outlets being five in number, each measuring 5 ft. by 5 ft. A residence for the farm-manager on the reclaimed area, also accommodation for twenty-four inmates and two officers, with all necessary conveniences, have been completed and occupied. Two additional cottages have been built adjacent to the main institution for the use of officers, while a start has been made with the foundations of two more. The new kitchen block, bakehouse, laundry, and workshop, also a new hospital building, are now nearing completion. The subdividing of the yards in order to provide means for extending the present classification system is progressing apace, together with a large amount of valuable and useful work —all necessary in connection with the general improvement of the system now in force at lnvercargill which you have been pleased to inaugurate. Much has been done in this connection, but much more still requires to be done. Concrete block and tile making is still an important feature of the work being carried on here. Market-gardening is also receiving attention. It is very gratifying to be able to report that the whole of the above programme is being carried out by the labour of the inmates themselves, under the direction of institutional officers. The knowledge so gained must in after-life prove invaluable to many of the youths who have passed through this institution. In closing I must again refer to the very great success which continues to attend the system introduced by yourself of appointing skilled tradesmen for the purpose of instructing inmates of our institutions and prisons in various trades and callings. At one time there were probably four or five officers employed in the whole of our prisons who happened to be tradesmen, whose services were made use of to a limited extent, but such officers had, in addition, to carry out their ordinary disciplinary duties. The newer and better system, whereby a staff of tradesmen officers are attached to each prison whose sole duty is to supervise and direct the prisoners in the particular trade which they represent, must of itself prove beneficial both to the Department and the prisoners. At present we have a staff of carpenter instructors, tailors, bricklayers, plumbers, shoemakers, electricians, dairy experts, mechanical engineers, quarry-managers, farm-managers, schoolmasters, drill instructors, &c. It is not claimed on behalf of the Department that competent tradesmen in the proper sense of the term are being turned out, but I think it cannot be denied that the training given and the experience gained must prove useful in after-life to many of those who have passed through our institutions. In fact, lam in a position to state that the experiences gained has —not in one instance, but in dozens of oases—enabled men to go outside and take up work and make a success of it. M. Hawkins, Inspector of Prisons and Works Supervisor.