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H—2o

The boot-factory has worked at full capacity producing military and Air Force boots, Mental Hospital footwear, and leather satchels for the Post and Telegraph Department. In addition, a large number of repairs have been carried out to Child Welfare Department footwear. The tailoring-factory has had a particularly busy time manufacturing clothing for mental hospitals and prison institutions. Close on 998 cushions (office) were made for other Departments; 1,653 pairs of socks were made and 155 pairs refooted. The tailoring branch also repaired 36,292 mail and parcel bags. Tinsmithing has been carried on, supplying the various prison institutions with their requirements. The carpenters' shop has manufactured a number of cabinets for the Kegistrar-General's Department, and made fittings for local Courts and attended to the renovations of this institution. The laundering section has again laundered a large number of Defence and Air Force blankets; and in this connection 5,922 bars of soap were manufactured sufficient to cover all laundry and other institutional work. The manufacture of tobacco has been continued and all Prisons Department's institutional requirements have been met. A large portion of the leaf used was the product of Waikeria Borstal Farm. Quarrying and crushing metal screenings has been carried on only intermittently, and this industry could not be fully manned, owing to staff shortage. The prison garden has been fully cultivated and has produced most of the vegetables used in the institution. The food supplied to the inmates here lias been first-class quality, and r as previously, the meat and milk has been supplied by the Waikeria Farm and the bread made in the institutional bakehouse here. The institutional school has been continued during the year under the direction of Dr. Dale as Master and with the assistance of two members of the staff. Dr. Dale's report is as follows: In addition to the usual subjects, a special attempt has been made this year to* develop certain aspects of life along lines of discussion!. This was adopted because many of the men appear to accept the opinions of others without any real thought or question. Such ideas are apt to be dangerous not only to the men themselves, but also to society as a whole. Through discussion it has been possible to examine much of what the men held to be true and show that often their ideology is erroneous, founded upon wrong premises and the result of imagination rather than thought. Simple topics, including justice, the decent pattern of a life, economics, news reporting, and so on, have been taken, and from these subjects the elemental laws of logic and argument have been shown. Considerable improvement has been shown by many men, who have learned tocontrol themselves verbally, with consequent mental gain. Odd debates have been held at the request of the men themselves, who appear to appreciate the efforts made to assist them. It is hoped to continue this type of work next year. Some men have shown an earnest desire to pursue work beyond the scope offered at the primary level, and have started elementary book-keeping to assist them when they are discharged, since they have hopes of setting up in small businesses for themselves. For the first time a full survey of a man's potentialities was undertaken this year and I would suggest that every man attending school should be mentally tested beforeembarking upon any educational course, whether primary or secondary. Such a measurewould be in keeping with modern educational practice used i-n intermediate and secondary schools. It would enable the school to know whether the man was mentally equipped tobenefit, and to what extent, from the educational facilities offered. As in past years, the number of Maoris attending school is very high. The general education standard of the majority at commencement is extremely low, which may havesomething to do with their being in prison. Many are scarcely able to write, and reading is often quite beyond them. They indicate, in conversation, that their ideas of life and living is culled from sources which could be corrected if they had derived more from early schooling. They appear to be keen to assimilate what the school has to offer, and. make rapid progress. As a relaxation from direct schooling, they take up the study of their own language with enthusiasm.

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