H.—2o.

A further innovation was also introduced by the establishment of a women's Visiting Committee at the Invercargill Borstal. The members of this committee will interest themselves in the well-being of the younger inmates, visit the sick ones both in the institution and in the hospital, and, where possible, establish a reconstructive contact by correspondence with the relatives of inmates. The customary round of activities (industries, classes, recreation) as outlined in earlier reports has been pursued during the year, and is set out in more detail in the institutional reports appended hereto. The Department is indebted to the many voluntary helpers, Christian workers, lecturers, the Salvation Army officers, and many others for assistance in connection with the running of the Borstals. Revenue and Expenditure. It is pleasing to be able to record that in the cash expenditure of the Department a reduction has again been effected for the year ended 31st March, 1935. A reduction of approximately £700 in gross expenditure, together with an increased revenue of £5,400, provided a decreased net expenditure of £6,100 compared with the previous financial year. Expenditure reductions have now been effected steadily for five successive years. A net cash expenditure of £77,242 for the years 1934-35, compared with £100,713 in 1930-31, notwithstanding the impossibility of arresting a revenue decline until eighteen months ago, is the net budgetary result of the Department's administration. In reviewing expenditure figures of the past few years it is satisfactory to find that, due to economies and reduced prison musters, the aggregate savings in the past four years amounts to approximately £55,000. For the current year ending 31st March, 1936, a more buoyant state of prison industries and some additional expenditure savings give promise that net expenditure will be lower than in any year since 1926.

Summary of Cash Payments and Receipts of Prisons Vote, 1924 to 1935.

The foregoing figures refer to the actual cash expenditure from Consolidated Fund and do not include overhead or permanent charges for interest and depreciation. The departmental Income and Expenditure Account (Table B) embodies all such charges and also makes due provision for value of unpaid services, unconsumed stores, &c. That account shows a somewhat greater reduction than the actual cash figures, mainly due to the Treasury assessment for nominal interest-charges being reduced by approximately £9,000. Public Works Fund Expenditure. Expenditure under this head has been almost negligible for the past five years, the policy since 1927 being to charge development-work to revenue, and for the year ended 31st March, 1935, the sum of £1,605 was expended, being confined, in the main, to an 'installation of farm water-supply at Waikeria and to drainage and reclamation at Invercargill. Further details appear in the Public Works Department annual report. Summary of Public Works Fund Expenditure. Year - Expended, j Year. Expended. 1923-24 .. .. .. .. 27,259 i 1929-30 .. .. .. .8 205 1924-25 .. .. .. .. 25,279 1930-31 .. .. .. 2'504 1925-26 .. .. .. .. 24,196 1931-32 .. .. .. 9'621 1926-27 .. .. .. .. 22,812 1932-33 .. .. . 2'026 1927-28 .. .. .. .. 22,359 1933-34 .. .. .. 1'036 1928-29 .. .. .. .. 12,572 1934-35 .. .. .. .. i^Oô Industries and Development. Farming and farm-development work is the predominant prison industrial activity, and second to this comes quarrying and roadworks. There is always a difficulty in providing suitable and adequate labour for short-sentence prisoners and others who are required for safe custody to be kept at the town

5

I " " ~~ Daily Gross Expenditure. Credits. Net Expenditure. Y« r Average Number of | |' Inmates. Total. | Per Head. Total. Per Head. , Total. Per Head. £ £ £ £ £ £ 1924-25 .. .. 1,227-81 144,484 117-67 68,118 55-56 76,366 62-11 1925-26 .. .. 1,340-13 152,794 114-00 79,099 59-02 73,695 54-98 1926-27 .. .. 1,397-25 148,766 106-47 70,915 50-76 77,851 55-71 1927-28 .. .. 1,489-62 161,199 108-21 66,979 44-95 94,220 63-26 1928-29 .. .. 1,501-82 163,451 108-83 73,994 49-27 89,457 59-56 1929-30 .. .. 1,425-54 172,248 120-83 83,806 58-87 88,442 62-04 1930-31 .. .. 1,525-32 171,382 112-36 70,669 46-33 100,713 66-03 1931-32 .. .. 1,641-51 152,581 92-93 55,867 34-03 96,714 58-90 1932-33 .. .. 1,661-29 142,940 86-04 52,412 31-84 90,528 54-49 1933-34 .. .. 1,487-90 138,193 92-88 54,823 36-77 83,370 56-11 1934-35 .. .. 1,306-20 137,484 105-25 60,242 46-12 77,242 59-13