H—2o,

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supplied, and tiles are now being made for the roof of the additions to the reformatory at Point Halswell. At Mount Cook, the mam excavation having been completed, a party is employed in the gully known as Spencer's Lane, levelling out and forming tennis-courts; &c, for the Technical College students. At Point .Halswell extra accommodation has been provided, which enables an increased number of men being employed on the works there. One party is engaged in building the addition to tho reformatory for women. Other parties are employed preparing the site for the new trial and remand prison, erecting shed for concrete-block making, &c. A well has been sunk, and it is expected a supply of good water, sufficient for building requirements, will be obtained. At Seatoun a party is employed in the levelling of the Defence Department's reserve, and a ready sale is obtained for the sand and shingle obtained. An engine and elevator are now installed, and will greatly increase the output and reduce manual labour. Divine services by ministers of the several denominations were held on Sundays during the year, and, by permission of the Controller-General of Prisons, entertainments were provided by the New Zealand Pictures Supply Company, the Salvation Army Band and songstresses, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and tin-. Presbyterian Social Workers' Association, the latter providing, in addition to a concert, substantial refreshments for the inmates. Wi Tako Prison, Trentham. At the beginning of the year there were 51 prisoners in custody, 88 were received during the year, and 90 discharged and transferred, leaving 49 prisoners in custody at the end of the year. The general industry and conduct of the prisoners have been very good. A number of cinema entertainments and high-class concerts have been provided by the Y.M.C.A. These entertainments are keenly looked forward to by the prisoners, and as each man must have a record of exemplary conduct and genuine industry before he is allowed to attend an entertainment it is obvious that these concerts have a splendid influence on the behaviour of the men. There were no escapes or attempted escapes. There, were no cases of serious illness, and the general health of the prisoners has been very good. The spiritual needs of the men have been zealously looked after by the ministers of the various denominations. The principal work of tho year has been the development of the brickworks. In order to provide! greater driving-power for the Bradley and Craven brickmaking-machine, a second boiler has been installed, and both boilers have been connected with the camp water service. The drying-sheds have been overhauled and reconditioned. The wooden roof has been replaced by malthoid. A new system of plank roads is now in use, and should greatly facilitate the, transferring of the green bricks. A considerable amount of excavation and drainage has been carried out around the kiln. Opportunity was taken of the kiln being closed down during the winter months to have it thoroughly overhauled and relined. In the course of this overhauling it was found that the kiln was showing very little signs of wear, and that it was standing well up to its work. The new tram-line route has been surveyed and plans prepared, and a line to permit the transport of railway-wagons will shortly be laid down. The whole of the. brickworks are now in full working-order, and with experienced men in charge there should be little difficulty in supplying all orders. The weather has had a detrimental effect on the farming operations of the year. An extremely wet winter was followed by a dry summer, with disastrous results to crops. The oat crop, in common with the crops of the local farmers, was practically a failure. However, the mangolds, potatoes, swedes, &c, are doing very well so far and show promise of good returns. The cattle (sixty-two head) on the estate are doing very well, but if the dry weather continues it will make winter conditions very hard, as feed will be very scarce indeed. The eradication of the blackberry is entailing a considerable amount of time and labour. This pest requires constant attention. During the summer months a party of prisoners is kept constantly employed dealing with it. No sooner have they completed the cutting and grubbing than the plants have grown sufficiently to require the whole work being gone over again. Subdivision fences have been erected between the officers' cottages, and a substantial trellis fence has been placed along the frontage. The two paddocks at Heretaunga have been cleared of gorse and laid down in permanent pasture. A septic tank to deal with the sewerage of the prison has been constructed and connected up, and is working satisfactorily. A start was made during the year to plant the hillside facing the railway-line with trees. A portion of the ground was cleared, and 2,800 Pinus radiata were planted on tho hill and 1,200 Douglas fir on the adjacent flat. The planting was done in May, but there was a considerable percentage of deaths amongst the trees planted then. These were replaced in September, and the latter planting has proved fairly successful. It is thought that owing to the abnormally wet winter and the hill being composed of a hard formation the water ran over the surface, lodged in the pits, and killed the young trees. The planting is to be continued in sections until the whole of the hilly part of the reserve is planted. Prison, Institutions for Women. Addinc/lon Reformatory for Women. —At the beginning of the year there were 18 inmates in residence and lin the hospital; 45 were admitted during the year, making a total of 64 ; 33 were discharged on the expiration of their sentence ; 4 were released on the recommendation of the Prisons Board ; 7 admitted on remand ; 4 were discharged ; 2 sent to other institutions, and 1 placed on probation ; 10 transferred to other institutions. Owing to the few inmates at present in custody, their only employment consists of doing all the domestic work of the institution, milking, feeding