TREE PLANTING BY PRISON LABOUR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 21, 20 October 1920, Page 7

TREE PLANTING BY PRISON LABOUR

NOW DISCONTINUED. ' ''Tree-planting by prison labour has .. now been earned on since 1901," states the annual report on the prisons of tho Dominion. "During that period 15,932 acres of waste laud have been planted . with 40,719,310 trees, the total labour value of the work as estimated by the Forestry Department being i' 65,435. "At its initiation the' work was a bold and successful departure from the older • methods of prison employment—or per- : haps it would l>a more correct to say 'unemployment.' Men were taken away from the; dull, treadmill-like existence in , the central prisons and given a healthful and comparatively free life in fie country. Until tho advent of the Depart- ' inenPs agricultural policy this was practically the only method of employing ■ prisoners under healthful open-air coni ditions. With the increase in the number of properties taken up by the Department, .and the consequent,large demand for labour, much difficulty was> found in keeping the afforestation camps adequately manned. In addition to this, ; «t soon became evident that, as an occupation for tho prisoners, farming in all its branches was preferable in every way to the monotonous and unskilled work cf clearing the, land, pitting, and. planting trees. The knowledge gained by the farm worker was clearly of more use to the prisoner, after release, and consequently to the State, than • the very elementaTy work of planting'trees year after year until his final discharge. So long, however, as tjie State had only the' one method of providing its future forests, it was felt that the employment of prison labour in this direction must be con- ', turned. When, however, a-forward policy in afforestation was decided upon, and. a vigorous and well-equipped department established to carry it out, the Prisons Administration considered that the time had arrived when the interest of the individual prisoner and of its °™, policy of reform nnd reclamation might be given precedence. The Govern- ' ment was then asked to decide whether the work of afforestation could be satisfactorily carried on without the use of Snson labour, and upon the Forestry apartment reporting m the affirmative, . Immediate steps were taken to cease operations at Kaingaroa, the only remaining prison afforestation camp.''