13

H.—2o

The health of the prisoners has been good, one man only requiring hospital treatment. The conduct and industry of the prisoners generally have been good. The rations supplied .were of good quality; vegetables have been obtained from Addington Prison, and potatoes from Paparua Prison. As in previous years, the chief employment is quarrying for the Lyttelton Borough Council. Owing to decreased number of prisoners now in custody the staff was "reduced, necessitating an alteration in the outside working-parties. In May last the tailoring department at this Prison was closed, and the instructing warder and tradesmen prisoners transferred to Wellington Prison. The bootmaking department has been fully employed in maintaining the output of all classes of footwear for the prisons of the Dominion and also for some of the mental hospitals. The conduct of officers has been satisfactory. Divine service was held every Sunday by ministers of the several denominations, and on Christmas Day and New Year Day, by permission of the Department, entertainments were provided by Mr. Booth, of the Seamen's Institute (mission), and several gentlemen from Christchurch. NAPIER PRISON. On the Ist January there were in confinement 23 males and 3 females. The greatest number of cases of sickness at any one time was 3 males. The prisoners have been employed in the Borough Council Quarry, Coote Road, cleaning the Courthouse buildings and the police-station. The sum of £217 10s". was paid to the Public Account for mortar-sand, stone, footpath-sand, and rubble. The supply of rations has been very good. With the exception of the three male admissions to the hospital the health of the prisoners has been good. NEW PLYMOUTH PRISON. There were 38 males in custody on the Ist January, 1916, and 29 on the 31st December, 1916, including 1 male in District Hospital. The employment at this Prison is quarrying and stone-breaking, for which the sum of £381 ss. 9d. was received for metal, &o. A little gardening is also carried on, and vegetables have been sold, for which the sum of £1.3 1.35. lOd. was received; also Roto Aira Prison Camp supplied with vegetables to the value of £19 19s. Id,, and this Prison supplied with vegetables to the value of about £20; total, £53 12s. lid. Three of the officers' cottages have been painted during the year, and all the cells of the Prison and cookhouse have been painted shoulder-high, and are all now in good condition. The rations supplied to the Prison by the various tradespeople during the year were of good quality. The conduct of officers during the year has been good. The clergymen of the various denominations held religious services regularly during the year, and their services appear to be appreciated. PAPARUA PRISON. There wore in custody at the beginning of the year 24 prisoners; 81 prisoners were received on transfer from other prisons; the daily average being 32*43. The health of the prisoners on the whole has been good. The food supplied by the tradespeople has been very satisfactory. The conduct of the prisoners has been good. There were no escapes or attempted escapes during the year. The conduct of the officers has been good. The following build ing- work, alterations, and improvements have been carried out during .the current year : Water has been laid on to all parts of the Prison, and a high-pressure hotwater system installed in the cookhouse, which provides hot water to plunge and shower baths. A Roberts' cooker has also been set up, providing efficient cooking-apparatus. An additional cell-house to accommodate 26 prisoners, and also containing two officers' rooms, has been erected, and the whole Prison has been enclosed with an 8 ft. paling fence. Two punishment-cells have also been built. Electric light has been installed throughout the Prison, including in all some seventy-five points. A motor-car shed has been built to accommodate the Prison motor-van. A manual fire-engine, with full equipment, is now being provided. Extensions have been carried out to blockmaking shed, making the shed 120 ft. long by 36 ft. wide, and blockmaking proceeds steadily. In connection with this industry a number of concrete telephone-poles were made to the approval of the Post and Telegraph Department, and a further quantity of these poles are now to Ik- made; also a number of concrete fencing-posts were manufactured, and are being used upon the Prison farm. With regard to tho new Prison, a start has been made with the foundation, and the whole uf the first footing has been laid, and boxing for the'top layer is now being set up. This work comprises some 300 cubic yards of concrete, 200 of which have been deposited. The whole of the special blocks required for base are now completed and ready to set in position. During the year 210 acres were ploughed for crops and sown as follows: Oats, 122 acres; potatoes, 22 acres; mangels, 6 acres; turnips and silver-beet, 17 acres; mixed grass, 24 acres; lucerne, 16 acres; and vegetables, •'! acres. The whole of these crops were sown under favourable