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The industrial activities in which inmates of institutions are trained covered a fairly wide and varied scope.. Whilst in the limited time the Department does not claim, nor is it practicable, to turn out fully qualified tradesmen, prisoners do acquire a good practical training which is a great assistance in securing employment on release. But apart from the acquisition of skill, which is a factor in the building-up of self-esteem, the development of the habit of industry, and the capacity to apply oneself regularly to steady work, plays a great part in character development. The main prison activities cover tailoring, bootmaking, concrete-post and pavement-block making, quarrying, farming, truck gardening, printing, bookbinding, road construction and maintenance, laundering, tobacco growing and manufacture, furniture-manufacturing, and tinsmithing, besides the usual institutional employment on cleaning, cooking, and breadmaking. Most of these have been carried on for some years past, but a new and growing industry has been developed at the Invercargill Borstal, where a bookbinding-shop has been set up. Besides doing binding-work for a number of departmental offices, a considerable amount of work is also done for the National and Country Library Services. The lads at Invercargill have shown a keen interest in this work and its occupational worth as a light industry is high. It is intended to develop in conjunction with this bookbinding-shop a--"srf!all printery to print some of the requirements of the Justice Division of the Department, whilst the printery at Wellington Prison will continue to handle the requirements of the Prisons Division. Further mechanization of the carpenter's shop at Invercargill has just been completed and. its useful production capacity has been considerably increased. Besides attending to the requirements of the local institution, this shop has been used to give inmates practical training, in the making of furniture as required for different offices throughout the Dominion. It is proposed to use this shop to fulfill the needs of all our offices, both Justice and Prisons, as furniture replacements are required. The Department largely confines itself to industry for State use, and endeavours to keep out of the competitive field. As the departmental accounts on a trading basis as at 31st March, 1949, are not yet complete, the earlier comments necessarily refer only to cash receipts and payments. On the industrial side of the institutions' operations the Public Account surplus for the year ended 31st March, 1947, was £25,739. For 1948 this surplus, after charging .supervision (£24,000), interest (£11,400), and depreciation (£3,000), was £34,606 : Industry. Public Account Surplus. £ Blockmaking .. .. .. .. .. 23* Bootmaking .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,140 Brickworks .. .. . - .. .. .. 288* Farming .. .. .. .. .. .. 21,125 Gardening .. .. .. .. .. .. 765 Laundering .. .. .. .. .. .. 244* Roadworks .. .. .. .. .. .. 82* Quarrying .. .. .. .. .. .. 8,582 Tailoring .. .. .. . . .. 2,855 Tobacco .. .. .. .. .. .. 290 Miscellaneous .. .. .. .. .. 486 Over-all surplus .. .. .. .. £34,606 * Deficit .

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