H.—6

4

as follows : Cost of discipline staff, £27 3s. lOd. ; rations, fuel, clothing, and medicines, &c, £13 19s. 6d. ;, and bedding, furniture, incidental expenses, &c, £1 18s. 9d. In order therefore that prisons should be self-supporting, each prisoner must earn about 3s. 4d. per diem, supposing that there were five working-days in each week, or say 260 working-days, in the year; but, as those awaiting trial,, lunatics, debtors, and many females earn nothing, it is impossible to arrive at any accurate sum which would make all prisoners earn their expenses. A further reference to Eeturn D, however, shows that the sum of £4,391 17s. 4d. was received during the year' for prison labour, road-metal, &c.: this reduces the average cost of each prisoner to £37 Is. Id. I believe this average will be looked upon as satisfactory, and tend to convince those sceptical in the matter that, whilst due regard is paid to economy in the prisons, the inmates are not in all cases allowed to carry out their well-known theory, that " We never yet worked for a living, and nothing shall make us do so." 30. It may be interesting to refer to Returns P and G- for the number of prisoners reconvicted once r twice, thrice, or oftener during the last five years ; to Eeturn I for the ages of those received in prisons during the past twelve months, and the causes of their detention ; and to Eeturn H for the degrees of their education. 31. In considering the sum already quoted as credited for labour performed by prisoners during the past year, the fact must not be lost sight of that no credit is taken for such works as at Sticking Point, Lyttelton; Maitland Street and Botanical Gardens at Dunedin; road-making at Nelson and Wanganui; levelling Hospital and Government grounds at Hokitika; levelling Asylum, Hospital, and College grounds at Wellington; and the various prison buildings and works, such as, at Lyttelton, completion of north wing, 84 cells in concrete, chapel, bath-rooms, and padded cell; making prisoners' clothing for that and other prisons; and the uniforms for all the officers in the prison service; at New Plymouth, the completion of new wing of 20 cells, in concrete, and building the boundary-wall in stone ; at Wellington and Invercargill, making padded cells, and concreting yards in former place ; together with the ordinary repairs at all prisons, and washing, shirt-making, and stocking-knitting by the female prisoners generally. I have, &c., The Hon. the Minister of Justice, Wellington. A. Hume, Captain, Inspector of Prisons.

TABLE A. Visits of the Inspector of Prisons to the Twelve Larger Prisons during 1881.

TABLE B. Record of Offences committed by Officers for Five Years ending 31st December, 1881.

iddington Auckland Dunedin Eokitika Invercargill ... jyttelton Napier STelson Sew Plymouth Cimara fVanganui iiVellington Jan. I Feb. 2 Jan. i Feb. 12 Mar. 3 Mar. s Feb. 28 Mar. 3 Mar. 8 Mar. 24 Mar. 21 April 21 April 23 April 19 May 30 April 26 April 30 July 7 July 7 June 6 Sept. 30 Sept. 29 Oct. 13 Oct. 4 Oct. 17 Oct. 7 Oct. 13 Nov. 24 Oct. 9. 1 Nov. 22 Dec. 7 Dec. 10 Feb.23 May 27 May 28 Oct. 20 Oct. 28 Oct. 2 ... I Jan. 6 April 24 Jan. 9 Jan. 13 Mar. 16 Mar. 31 May 10 June 17 June 9 July 8 Aug. 8 Aug. 31 Oct. 31 Sept. 23 Nov. 15 Dec. 14 Dec. 31

Strength and Conduct of Staff. o "& a T_l _ i i 3 n cS a o '5*) »h oi o _ rH p" o h3 o a p. a G_ a EH !- a a wo § a o a 'a a' o 1877 — Daily average strength of staff ... Late for duty Drunkenness Other offences 5 1 23 2 5 32'5 7*23 3 14 5 4 3 4 3 10 i 1878— Daily average strength of staff ... Late for duty Drunkenness Other offences ... ... 6 23 26 4 6-53 3 15 1 5 4 3 4 4 1 IO 1 3 2 4 1 3 1879Daily average strength of staff ... Late for duty Drunkenness Other offences 7 2 23 20-3 6 3 17 5 S 3'3 4 5*5 11 1 1 3 1 2 2 2 4 880— Daily average strength of staff ... Late for duty Drunkenness Other offences 8 23 17-42 6-15 3 30 3 1 S 5 4 4 6 12 3 1 16 3 I 14 1881— JDaily average strength of staff ... Late for duty Drunkenness Other offences 8 23 19-58 5*9 6 4 28 10 5 5 4-89 4 S 14 3 19 1