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all charges, including prison labour, interest (or rent), and depreciation, as compared with seven for the previous year. All those showing a profit in 1927-28 maintained their position, and, in addition, blockmaking and bootmaking are now recouping al 1 charges. Industries showing a debit balance after prison labour is charged are farms, gardens, and quarries, but as the productive use of prison labour represents " made money " these debit balances are purely nominal. In the case of farms, labour charges of £17,000 left a debit balance of £10,000, the actual Public Account surplus being £7,000. Similarly in quarries, labour charges of £13,400 left the industry with a nominal debit of £876, the actual surplus in Public Account being £12,500. Only in the case of the brickworks is the position different, as the works are leased to private enterprise. Miscellaneous. Store Rules. The compilation of comprehensive Departmental Stores and Accounting Instructions has been proceeded with, and they are now set up in type. These to a considerable extent are a consolidation of procedure and instructions issued within the last few years, and will make for standardized practice in connection with stores and accounts. Important store-accounting records drawn up and issued during the year were a Farm Diary and a Bakehouse Record. The former has been considered by headquarters to be a long-felt requirement, as a means of establishing a positive primary record of farm events relating to production, issues, live-stock, births and deaths. A scheme whereby Stores Rules could be workably instituted on the farms, similar to the practice in the institutions, had given much difficulty in formulation, but the Diary appears to have shown the solution. This is printed and set out in a manner calculated to give the Department full primary daily records and the farm officers a minimum of clerical labour. The Bakehouse Record, designed to meet the need of recording for stock purpose daily the consumption of all bread ingredients and the resultant daily quantity of bread produced, also enables the average yield to be daily checked, and allows a standard comparison to be made of the results of all the institutions, ensuring a maximum of economy and efficiency in the bakehouse. Civilian Suits for Prisoners. A scheme was formulated and put into practice towards the end of the year whereby, for a moderate charge, to cover cost of manufacture, any prisoner just before discharge could secure a made-to-measure suit from the prison tailoring-shop. Full advantage of this concession is being taken at the various institutions. In the past the cost to a prisoner of refitting himself in clothes when released has made a serious inroad in the gratuity paid by the Department. Educational Text-books for Officers. Arrangements have been made with the St. John Ambulance Association to supply a number of first-aid handbooks and printed descriptive bandages to enable officers at institutions to render first aid to the injured when necessity arises. During the year also a text-book on criminology was issued for study by officers. Extensive additions to the Department's technical library have also been made. Standardization of Electric Lamps. Investigation recently showed that the electric lamps installed in the various prison cubicles' cells, corridors, and other parts were of all possible grades and illuminating-capacities, usually in excess of what was necessary. This has no doubt been caused by the general lack of knowledge of specifications of electric lamps, a failing which is universal. A definite scale of candle-powers for various situations has now been drawn up, and a substantial economy should result. General Review. A distinct departure has been made in recent years from the original idea of retaliatory or retributive justice, and it is now generally accepted that the main purpose of imprisonment is to protect society. This can be best achieved by endeavouring to reform the offender, and, as far as possible, by inculcating habits of industry, to engender self-reliance and self-respect. It is said that the severest punishment is the stigma of conviction and the deprivation of liberty. Experience shows that the greater privileges now accorded prisoners are bearing fruit in the shape of better discipline and greater industry. Much has been done in recent years to improve prison conditions in the matter of dietary, comforts, and general conditions of work. At the same time, in modern penology it is recognized that, while reasonable conditions are essential to contentment, the hope of reform lies not so much on good conditions as upon the development of self-discipline and self-respect and a sense of corporate responsibility. The object of all prison treatment and training should be not solely to make them good prisoners, but, if possible, good citizens. Around this idea hinges the development of the honour system and the reposing of a greater degree of trust in the prisoner. As a concrete example of this may be cited the holding of the Invercargill Borstal summer camps, when some sixty lads were under canvas for ten days entirely on their honour. Another is the establishment of social committees of prisoners at the farm camps, which organize regular sports and entertainments, and even deal, by way of fines of tobacco or other -