H.—20.

The isolation of these camps restricts voluntary visitation work, but the various Christian ministers regularly attend at considerable sacrifice. Each place has a well-stocked library and wireless equipment, and in addition any prisoner who desires to can take up an educational correspondence course. Recreational facilities are provided in the way of tennis, cricket, and open air sports. The activities of those confined at the Waikune Camp are in connection with road construction and maintenance, forty-five miles of road being under the Department's care. Advantage is taken of the lorries used in roadwork to provide the necessary transport facilities for the farm camps to and from National Park Railway, making this camp complementary to the Hautu and Rangipo farms. The diminished numbers of suitable men have necessitated a curtailment of activities, the roadwork at the Tokaanu end being taken over by the Public Works Department. The honour system prevails at these camps, it not being unusual for prisoners to be working at times miles from immediate supervision of a prison officer. Breaches of trust are rare, an instance being referred to in another section of the report. In addition to the healthy open-air work, prisoners acquire an experience in handling mechanized road-construction plant, and with a large fleet of motor-vehicles to maintain there is valuable experience vocationally for a number of men in a well-eququped garage. New Pymouth Prison. —At this institution prisoners manifesting abnormal sexual characteristics are segregated. The principal industrial activities are gardening, pig husbandry, and quarrying. The scope of activities are restricted because of the necessity for the exercise of vigilant supervision of the inmates. The medical officer attached to this prison is a psychiatrist, and he takes a close personal interest in the inmates with a view to helping them psychologically. The treatment is specially designed to develop self-esteem and self-control, and the comparatively small percentage who return to prison evidences a satisfactory degree of success in the work. In this connection the obiter dicta of the Honourable Mr. Justice Callan, when recently passing sentence on an offender, are of interest : — " I feel I do know something of the particular prison to which in New Zealand offenders of this kind go. I have seen how that place is conducted, and if the common-sense method of doing everything possible in a kindly and intelligent way to create new interests and to divert the attention of those unfortunates from the impulses that have very largely dominated them —if anything can be done in that way, which is psychological rather than physical, I know that it is being done very intelligently and in a very sympathetic manner in that place." The Department is fortunate in having a group of enthusiastic men and women visitors to this prison and a particularly active committee that interests itself in after-care work. Wellington Prison. —This prison is primarily a trial and remand prison and for the holding of prisoners for classification pending transfer to other suitable institutions. There are several minor industries carried on for occupational purposes. The prison printery has proved a means of considerable economy to the Department and has enabled a number of men to keep their hand in at their trade. In co-operation with the Wellington Beautifying Society, a native-plant nursery has been established and a considerable start has been made in remantling the peninsula with native flora. Several thousands of native shrubs have been planted in the valleys and around the foreshore, and many shrubs have been made available to the beautifying society. The interest taken in this work by the inmates is most marked, and the training has already proved the means of enabling several men to secure work on release. Wi Tako Prison is a prison farm conveniently located to Wellington, hence, through not having the disadvantage of distance like the camps, the short-sentence men can be sent out from Wellington. The farm comprises a fertile valley of peat land, and the prison itself nestles under the bush-clad hills. The picturesque surroundings of the prison are themselves inspiring. The industries carried on —viz., market gardening, sheep and dairy farming and pig-raising— provide profitable and healthy out-of-door work, of particular value to a type of prisoner from the city. Paparua Prison is a fairly modem institution at which are detained more or less trustworthy and promising inmates. Gravel quarrying is carried on, but the principal activity is farming. The farm comprises 1,405 acres, sheep and cropping being the main sections. At Paparua there is a high-grade Corriedale flock, but in addition to wool a feature is made of the early fat-lamb trade, the Department last year securing prizes at the Royal Agricultural Show. Gardening and poultry rearing are also carried on on a large scale, the Queen Mary Hospital at Hanmer being regularly supplied. Apart from the vocational training, for undoubtedly farming is the primary industry of the Dominion, and farm-work will be one of the main avenues of absorption after release, educational facilities are provided through the agency of special classes conducted regularly at the Institution. Voluntary helpers assist with periodic lectures and entertainments. Addington Prison is a reformatory for women offenders. This institution was completely renovated inside and out during this year, the construction of a lower ceiling giving the inside of the building a warmer and more pleasing appearance. The principal activities are domestic work, gardening, and laundering. The installation of a mechanical laundry plant has been effected and has enabled the work to be handled by the much diminished number of inmates. At the Wanganui Prison all the aged and feeble prisoners are segregated. Instead of the usual system of individual cells the prisoners are in association, just as in a hospital ward, and it enables the wants of those to be readily attended to who are able only to help themselves with difficulty. Little industrial activity is carried on, as the inmates are incapable of sustained effort. The soil is sandy and poor, but a valiant attempt is made to maintain a vegetable garden, and an exceedingly good showing is made with ornamental shrubs.

8