H.— 20,

football jerseys, sox, &c. ; Invercargill Cricket Club, cricket-net; Mr. Gimblett, of the Invercargill Sports Depot, for tuition in restringing tennis-racquets and gifts of racquets ; Mr. C. Diack, football coach ; Mr. Ellis Kelly, cricket umpire. Southland Amateur Sports Trust, £10. Combined Sports meetings are usually held on New Year's Day, King's Birthday, Labour Day, and Boxing Day. On these occasions practically every boy takes part, prizes are awarded for various events, and refreshments are served. The twelfth Annual Summer Camp was held at Otatara from 24th December, 1937, to 3rd January, 1938. The weather was excellent most of the time, and the twenty boys drawn from the association class had a thoroughly good time—fishing, boating, rabbiting, swimming, rambling, &c., with moving-pictures in the evenings. Sports Day was on Ist January. There were numerous visitors. Mr. W. M. C. Denham, M.P., distributed the prizes. At this camp there were no breaches of discipline, and if this is a criterion of success, the gathering was one of the most successful held. As usual, public support in the way of donations of food stuffs, prizes, &c., was not lacking. Contributions in cash totalled over £10 for the camp and Christmas Cheer Fund, while business firms were generous in various ways. During the year, effect was given by Head Office to the idea that a " House Mother " would prove a valuable addition to the staff, this experiment having been tried in England with apparent success. It is probably a true saying that improvement must move from within the individual, but before anything can be done the desire to be better must be created and fostered. The refining effect of the presence of a good woman to whom the boys could refer to as a mother would at least prepare the soil for that improvement aimed at by Borstal. There is also the consideration that a lad will be less diffident about approaching a matron with his personal troubles than he would an officer. So gradually may they rise " from their dead selves to higher things." For welfare service in other directions there are the Invercargill Borstal Society, the Invercargill Borstal Visiting Committee, the Invercargill Honorary Ladies' Borstal Committee, and the Invercargill Voluntary Probation Committee. In continuation of the question of the welfare of the inmates generally, consideration was given by Head Office during the year to an improvement in the wearing apparel. It will be conceded that the right kind of clothing has an important psychological effect upon the wearer. " Good clothes beget good manners," while the reverse is the case with clothing towards which the wearer is not happily disposed. One realizes the feeling of uneasiness, tantamount to inferiority, engendered by dirty boots, for example (" shoe shame "), or an unshaven chin. The aim of Borstal being to raise the mental, moral, and physical standard of inmates, ways and means which might be likely to achieve, or even partially achieve, this end would apparently be justified. The days of the Broad Arrow are long since past, and a great advance has been made on that standard. But the aim now is to supply an outfit with a touch of individuality, especially for leisure time. In certain classes of outdoor work any clothing will soon show the effects of wear-and-tear and become dirty and untidy. A great improvement has been made already in the clothing to be used for " best," and one can but hope that the experiment will be productive of good. During the year a daily issue of butter was added to the already well-varied menu. Green vegetables from the farm garden are supplied all the year round. Cakes, fruit, &c., are permitted from relations, friends, and others for special occasions. The proper washing of clothing, bedding, &c., at an institution such as this is a matter of no little importance. The proper drying is indeed of more importance. In the summer .months the work presents less difficulty than* it does during the winter, when there is trouble getting things dried. The lack of facilities here made it imperative to improve the position, and this has been done by the installation of a Manlove-Alliott New Model Super Multijet washing-machine, with a 21 in. diameter electric driven hydro-extractor, and the necessary steam-boiler, motors, air-heating unit, &c. Plans to make the present swimming-bath tepid are in course of being carried out. Excavation work has been done and the site plastered for the accommodation of the boiler. When the whole job is finished greater use will be made of the bath, and an objective aimed at will be the teaching of every boy to swim. Further, the work of the instructors from the Oreti Surf Life-saving Club, who give their services voluntary, will be made easier. In view of the large number of deaths by drowning in New Zealand annually, the teaching of swimming and life-saving is of great national importance. The institutional hospital is being brought up to date, to make conditions as ameliorative as possible for inmates when sick. New equipment is being put in and other inprovements made. All the bread required for institutional purposes is baked on the premises. Here a dual purpose is served, as in other industries, where a boy can obtain a working knowledge of a trade, which can be turned to advantage in the future. The institution was honoured during the year by a visit from " La Marechale," the title by which is known the elder daughter of the late William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, now head of the Army herself. This lady, vigorous despite her years, conducted a very fine meeting of an evangelistic nature. Mrs. M. Michael, of Swansea, Wales, was with us for a few days, and impressed all with her earnestness of purpose and great understanding, arising out of some fourteen years of association with English prisons. She also addressed the boys. In September, during the tour of the South African Rugby Football Team to New Zealand, Mr. R. 0. Nel, a Member of Parliament for Newcastle, South Africa, and uncle of the captain of the Springboks, gave a talk to the boys on " Big Game Hunting, and Mining " in his country. The freehold portion of the reclamation area comprising approximately a square mile —650 acres is the main Borstal. There is also a block of 91 acres freehold, in light bush, at Otatara. The city leasehold area now includes Lot IV, 123 acres, Lot V, 200 acres, Lot VI, 200 acres, and No. 2 dairy,

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