HANMER PRISON CAMP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 658, 8 November 1909, Page 11

HANMER PRISON CAMP.

■ . THE TIMBER PROSPECTS. . AND TIIB MEN'S LITTLE LUXURIES, •a"*: -t« :-®y iTolcgraph.-rSppolfil.iOorrosponilciJt.) ■< I " '' •• < ChriStchurch, Ndvombor 6. . . A:.m6nibor of•/the .l'Prcse"'staff,who has pair >■;■■-.• Tisit to-the* prison camp.-at: llnninor.. reports that"of the total (iron of 11S8 acics of barror ■k■ .■:■■ hillsides acquired by , thai Govornmcnt 'some sis ■ . years, ago, .for'thi> : purpose of afforestation bj prison, labour, 1 some 1200 acrcs hare now beer planted,-and tha question will soon have to be vr: faced, whether a further area shall'b? acquired ; oriwhether: some other district, shall, be selected ift lor.'treatment. Up to. last \season,: .sonio. twt . and. a half million trees had v be'dlf L , r Last season something like, a million: more wore pit in, so that at. tho present .moment-there ~ ;. ara;growing on tho 1200 acres three. and m half million timbor- 'trees, comprising t various variotics. of the pine, lijrch, aldor, .and silver • • birch. ■ When tho Returp Wjll Com#. , v ■j/The slowest growing of these trees^wiU.reach their nlaximum of. industrial • .usefulness in about fifty- years, while . others, notably j the lafch,-. will have attained 1 thatjistage in, say, twenty-five years. ■ A substtihtiSlM. allowance ; .miiat :be mada for thinning, which I 'process is due' to begin in about ten>yeaVaiafter planting. The timber thinned out will b& serviceable at tha first at lcasl for firewood, and a cimsidcrl > able quantity ofJt will bo of.-value for posts i : aid rails, aml v ;oar by year . tho trees marked . down : for thinning will be increasing in size and, worth. In a treeless district'such" as .Hanmer, where fuel .ond-fencnig matorials are . - . very : costly,, tho possesd : , a -much .greater market value than .mignt ap- . pear to. be tho case. Of the varieties planted,' the larch and pinus: laricio appear to. be most ißuitablo for the locality, although, all the:othor ;....! . kinds, aro making, vigorous growth. -:j.- > .Tho,actual.plantiiig ,ii done. 1 during ' June, V July,' August, -anil Spptpinber.- The rest of the ,J|: ! , year is ■ dovotofetb-aiggiftgirholes ; for tho res' . ception of the trees, draining, ditching,' fencing, •; v sorub-cutting, and maintaining tho yoiing trees i: ■ . ■ already .plantod. but. . Each prisonerjplants on : .anjiayotagO jIOOO trees 'perVdiem.- > The .hours i , observetl .are • from Bto 4 during, six months * -of .the year, and from Bto 5 during the balance, t- ~. :with, a.- Saturday,,half-holiday,:.which is usually * devotcdf to scrubbing; . put .hnts', hair-cutting ?' . , a J l °h T .?*ious recreations. A- ; "bank-torba'nk'' ,v- , . clauso is observed, and no matter how far from camp ...the; men may bo working, tho midday ... B^elhid...so .timed that.they ;shal!:.reach -.camp : *W'.;diiinor ,;.at 12,. and - they, do " not leave for work again until I.'v' l- v '; : <;S.ome mon aro omploycd m the kitchen. Oho does .the. washing, darning, and mending i.for .Another, acts ,as groom. '.' Another fiu] tivatfja i.tho vegetablo garden, and in his ■ :-t:.'. s ?s? e ;< ..2k>tonds the, camp; flower-pliitsj .while , others -rilpct little -repairs, in, -.blacfcsroithing, bootmawuf,;etc. 7 Tho raised from V:;Y ee .??;.2iivia;o : well-appointed . nursery, cldso. to the ~ , .prison,camp,-some six .men, -not prisoners,- are i, -. . omplpyed. Tho camp is'in charge of Mr. j* i'.Keid,. who has,recently returned to con-i ..... .tiimp.th«,.work which hc inaugurated six ycai's • ftJO. >v.-. •? v • j ! r ..-.Scimtejd Soap and Other Privileges. -. m, tiec-planting camps aro Taonoficial l •••• •? A??• P. r *s°ners» ...-.TKov-tvork- 1 is• earned • on- amid f .. surroundings, many of 'tho most Jraompj or; tho prison regulations- aro either non-exislent or are considerably and the enjoy many; pnvilogcs,; chief ; among : these, -perhaps, Jbeing, tho; liberty to' receive and . peruse,, the daily and weekly newspapers and ' • 1 "teratnre. They also may pursue nobbiest as t wood-carnng and tho like, while ~ every; enpouragement and facility; arc* given foT 1 ;. improvement v , .vFor example, '^one' man': studying .sHorthauil,. aiiother - the 'principles of- ■ • marine and a third tho rumuicnts i ,ot ,traction-png in o driving, all» tho- neccssary i books -And materials having heen bud-.*' .Pi l ?.®.?*®' their use. The fact.of friends being 1 • allowed, to t send in reading matter is largely i . availed ,relatives.'and '.frjonds-. keen l k. a numljor .of..the men.jsupphed. with aucn I j a mi C ' ns ■ rented sgap,^tooth... powder,- etcvj- | 1 ;• on account of : their.goodvbohavi.our,- and ft<ngid' ih'eir physique-'" Therefore' . f-®liv ßm P ®? n taining ;a; larger.- proportion • of ■ ..' y. ; bodies:,, than ■.■; 1 gaols,: a. larger-proportion'.of healthy' . minds. ' As much as possible is done to assist ;::. / the; : pri.Soners ) ,,iii' lightening •ithffjtjSiurii'- bntbeir; ■' enforcod retiroment. These.v wlio.'. desire.> to' .cultivate httle.igardcncplots- of: theif 'own,- nre- . - :^n.;.seed 9 Jandf implantsi I ' •rbOT;arp,nllowed..,tb'.keep' pets',.'jind~3ogsr™cats'f»gV?r<» t rabbits figure.' amongltkeWerestiiig V.. little; collcctfon. A -violin and^'ii^'flute '"nre . occasionally ; .iicard. •-. One. of tho.. ,v;-- appreciated^maoyations'is- tho dividing otfthV .' Jmt? <(formerly,;fitted up:-to hold.four-mcnV'into two compartmonts, with ono man in each