H.—2o.

Addington Reformatory Prison (Women). (Acting-Superintendent, Miss M. Hewitt.) At the beginning of the year there were 21 females in custody. There were 82 admissions during the year and 86 were discharged from custody, leaving 17 females in custody at the end of the year. The greatest number in custody at any one time was 26 and the least 15, the daily average for the year being 19-8. The health of the inmates generally has been excellent, there being only one admission to the Public Hospital during the year, and this was a case of an inmate on remand suffering from acute alcoholism. One case of mental disorder was transferred to the mental hospital during the year. The conduct of the prisoners has been good throughout the year. The main industry of the institution consists in the laundry, which provides very suitable employment for the class of inmate in custody here. All the Government Departments in Christchurch have their laundry work performed here, and the inmates take a keen interest in the work. Apart from the laundry, the institutional garden and poultry industry provides suitable labour for a certain type of individual, and this year a commencement has been made with the growing of nursery trees. The spiritual and social welfare of trie inmates has been well looked after by the ministers of the various religious organizations, Salvation Army, and Sisters of Charity, who have also provided suitable after-care in numbers of cases. Concert parties organized by Miss Nicholls and Mrs. Ansley regularly during the year have been appreciated by the inmates, and at Christmas time the Salvation Army and other interested persons provided Christmas cheer. Invercargill Borstal Institution. (Acting-Superintendent, Mr. R. W. Arnold.) At the beginning of the year there were 159 inmates in custody. During the year 63 inmates were received into the institution and 126 inmates were discharged or otherwise disposed of, leaving 96 males in custody at the 31st December, 1934. 115 inmates were released on the recommendation of the Parole Board and 7 released on the expiration, of terms of detention under section 16, subsection (1), of the Prevention of Crime (Borstal Institutions Establishment) Act, 1924. The daily average number of inmates in custody was 123 -26. The standard of conduct and industry of the inmates, on the whole, has been satisfactory. During the year one inmate escaped from a party while working at Otatara, and was apprehended after being at liberty for two hours. He was brought before the Court and received a further term of detention. Apart from a slight epidemic of influenza, which lasted for two weeks, the general health of the inmates has been of a very satisfactory standard. Ten inmates were admitted to the Southland Hospital for operations and treatment, one of whom died a week after admission. The Medical Officer, Dr. J. Garfield Crawford, visits the institution regularly and is most painstaking and sympathetic in the treatment of the boys under his care. It is surprising the number of boys requiring dental attention on admission to the institution, and this work is capably carried out by our visiting dentist, Mr. James G. Wade. A special feature of the social side of the year's work was a concert given by the inmates on the 3rd September last at the Civic Theatre in aid of the local unemployed relief funds. The programme, which was designed to last for two hours, continued until 10.45 p.m. owing to the incessant demands made by the large audience. During the interval His Worship the Mayor, Mr. J. Miller, congratulated the organizer and performers on the excellence of, the show, and on behalf of Mr. A. Wachner presented a parcel of cigarettes to lie distributed among the boys. As an additional attraction and a source of advertising the concert, Messrs. H. and J. Smith, Ltd., kindly arranged a very attractive window display from models, posters, Maori carvings and mats supplied by the institution which had, at various times, been made by the boys attending trade classes. The effort resulted in the raising of the satisfactory sum of £74 os. 4d. net. The success of the concert was undoubtedly due, in no small measure, to the work put in by the officer responsible for its production and other members of the staff who ably assisted. Weekly evening trade classes are held by competent officers m carpentering, blacksmithing, butchering, painting, signwriting, art, and music (vocal and instrumental). A special room has been renovated and is now being used as a display room, where examples of class work are being exhibited. This year the Agricultural Class is under the supervision of a member of the staff, and practical demonstrations are given in the experimental plots each Saturday morning. The Wool Class, held on Saturday mornings by Mr. T. Mathews, Agricultural Instructor to the Southland Education Board, continues to attract a good deal of interest, as is evidenced in the following report supplied by Mr. Mathews " Both the practical and theoretical instruction were carried on throughout the year, more time, however, being devoted to the practical phase, the result being that a fairly high standard was reached by the students in the wool-shed work. The examination conducted at the end of the year revealed that the students' theoretical knowledge has not reached the same standard as in the case of the practical work, hence more attention will have to be paid to this phase of the course next year.

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