Prison Farm Plan Recommended to Victoria Govt.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 2, 25 September 1937, Page 13

Prison Farm Plan Recommended to Victoria Govt.

" MELBOURNE. lmpressed by what he saw-of New Zealand's penal farm system during his recent investigation in that Dominion, the Chief Secretary .of Victoria, H. S. Bailey, announces .that he will recommend to the Cabinet the adoption of a similar system in this State. He envisages tho- employment of prisoners to prepare Crown land for settlemen't, bringing it to a stage at which cultivation coui'd begin.' Aitbough the principle that prisoners shoixld do useful and profitable work is not' new in Victoria, the New Zealand system . contains so'me novel f eatures. .To the objection that. tho prisoners might be competing with private labour, the reply of the New Zealand authorities is .that 'the man was on the labour market before he became a prisoner, and therefore • that there was no reason why he • should not be usef ully employed after his sentence, and so be able to contribute something 'to the support of his dependents. New Zealand prisoners are .' employed in farm work on Government land, in quarryjng, and even in road . building. They receivo ' 22s", 6d a week, which is paid to tkeir fatailies, and 6d a day for themselves. , Prison ' f arms are ; run on the honour system and the percentage of attemp'ted -escapes is low." The, average of discharged prisoners who .return after a subsequent conviction is 10 per cent. • v - " Mr. Bailey declares. that every thing he saw in the system commended itself to 'him: the effect on the morale and the mentality"' of the men employed, their response to sympathetie treatment and the econoinic value of the work 'they did. One of New Zealand's " prison farms received £1S,000 for thc sale of its produce in 1936, and was actually self-sapportingj instcad. of being' a charge upon the State. The size of New Zealand 's prison population is the same as Victoria 's, about 1200 men. 1 1 'Remember, my boy, ' ' said the elderly relative, sententiously, "that wealth tloes not.bring happiness." "I don't expect it to," ansjvered the young man. "I merely want it so that I may bd able to choose the kind of misery that is most'agreeable to me. " V S> ' 5> 3> ' 'Your honour," couiplaiued an iratc Irishwoman, "tliis no-aecouut husbaau of mine drinks." "Quite right, your honour," interrupted the husband,."I do. But that woman don't treat me right. Why, I pawns the kitchen stove to get a little money an' she doesn't miss it for two tveeks! " • ;