THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 26, 1910. PRISON LABOUR.
Recently objection was raised in certain parts of the Dominion against the employment of prison labour in planting out orchards. The objections came from certain Hawke's Bay fruit-growers, and whether they were right or wrong in their contention is not here under consideration. Whenever prison labour is put to use an outcry is raised by any particular trade or industry with which it interferes; and rightly so too, for brick-making, o-r any other industry on which prisoners may be employed should not compete with free labour, to the under-selling of the commodities manufactured. To what then can we profitably turn prison labour? lakJng into consideration the crime of the Government in permitting the wholesale destruction of our fcrests, even on bills inaccessible owing to their steepness and broken character, it ia[tho plain duty of the Government to take immediate steps to remedy the evil to soma extent. With this in mind, we earnot recimmend a better way of ful-
filling this duty than in planting treea. It would not be at all difficult to arrange, through the County Counciis'of thts a scheme for the distribution of young trees to farmers. The Government might even go so far as to make provision in the new Local Government Bill for the compulsory planting ot trees yearly in proportion to the area of land held. Prison labour could be used in this direction without infringing on any trade and manufacturing rights, and an immense amount of benefit accrued to the country. There is also an imoortant poi'nt to consider, and that is the benefit such an occupation would be to the prisoners engaged in this healthy outdoor employment. From that point of view alone such a scheme is worthy of consideration. Imprisonment nowadays is less with a view to punish than to reform, and the"means proposed would be in accordance with the popular will.
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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10050, 26 July 1910, Page 4
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322THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, JULY 26, 1910. PRISON LABOUR. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10050, 26 July 1910, Page 4
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