THE WESTPORT GAOL.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 657, 12 May 1870, Page 3

THE WESTPORT GAOL.

The Provincial Secretary, comply, ing with the request of the Provincial Council last week, instructed the Gaoler to furnish returns showing the expenditure on account of the Gaol for the twelve months ended 31st Mar,ch last, and the value of the prison labor done during the said . twelve months. An elaborate return has been despatched by the Gaoler (Mr Maguire) showing the number and classification of prisoners confined in the establishment for the past twelve months, also giving a summary of the yearls expenditure, and the value of the prison labor, which is estimated at 8s per man per day, and.to which are added the following remarks by him on the employment of the prisoners and nature of the work done bv them:— ~ " The hard-labor gang are employed W general road making, grubbing stumps, cutting drains, metalling, &c, w. A part of their time is employed to the supply of firewood to the Government offices. ""When metalling the streets an account is kept of the. number of loads Jlled and spread. The returns show that an average of 48 loads per day has been filled and spread by four hard-labor men. The cOst per load to private parties would be.4s per load, but the estimate and valuation of the ■Uirtnct Engineer is 2b per load for

filling and spreading, but even this price leaves the value of their labor, after paying for cartage, &c, &e y lis 6d per man per day. "£1057 18s is shown as the expenses of the department for the twelve months ending 31st March, 1870 ; against which the value of the prison labor during the same period is fully, as estimated by me, £1077 lis, which leaves a balance in favor of the gaol of £l9 13s. " This I consider a most satisfactory return of the prison labor, and I am fully satisfied there is not in the Australian Colonies a prison department so young as the Westport Gaol so self-supporting, and were all the prisoners on the Nelson South-West Goldfields, as elsewhere, sent to this, the principal gaol, the result in every respect would be much more satisfactory, both as regards expense and the remunerative manner in which they would be employed, as about Westport there is plenty of labor for any number of prisoners."