PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2277, 24 August 1908, Page 1

PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS

SURVEY DEPARTMENT,

(Special to “Times,”)

WELLINGTON, August 22. The annual -report of the .Survey Department, presented to Parliament, states Hut the demands on the Department have been particularly heavy this year. An average number oi seventy-three staff' surveyors have been employed, and it was found necessary to increase the strength by the addition of eight authorised assistunts, in charge of parties under tlie direct supervision and control ot a similar liumbor of the staff surveyors. Besides tho foregoing, a number of .licensed surveyors were, from time to time, employed on contract in cutting into sections Crown lands. Forty-five undertook surveys at schedule rates of Native Land Court orders and mining claims, and many were engaged privately oil land transfer surveys. All those classes of survey come under tho scrutiny of tho Department, and me-t yoceivq .its approval before - the p..tiis become authorised. By far the greater part of the work has been sectional survey, necessitated by the increasing demand for land, though surveys of Nativo land hive been considerable, for in addition to the- usual amount of Nativo Court orders, extensive surveys and roports have been made for the Maori Land Boards, preliminary to tho disposal of tho land. PRISONS AND CRIMES DEPARTMENT.

Colonel Hume, Inspector of Prisons, in his annual report to the Minister for Justice, says the Dunedin gaoler comments on tho number of cases of intemperates, acute alcoholics and supposed lunacy still being sent to prison for medical treatment, which lie rightly states are a grave cause of anxiety to the officials, and in support of his argument quotes a case of suicide. Though l am thankful to say, as the outcome of repeated protests, the practice of sending such cases to gaol has considerably diminished, yet it will bo a matter for great congratulation when such cases are entirely excluded from the prison population of the Dominion. The First Offenders’ Act continues to give the usual sitisi'actory results. There were thirteen escapes during the year, as compared with ten in the previous year. There were no executions during the year. At tho commencement of the year there were 812 males and 79 females undergoing detention in the various goals, while at its close there were 764 males and 83 females, a decrease of 48 males and an increase of four females. In 1907, 0,815 males and 663 females passed through the various prisons, as againt 5,461 males and 58 females in the previous year, an increase of 354 males and 78 females. If these numbers are accurately looked into. it. will be found that 739 males and 198 females are included more than once, so that the actual numbers of persons who passed through the prisons during the year 1907 was 5,076 males and 465 females. List year 714 males and 59 females were acquitted after remand, as against 696 males and 52 females in 1906, an increase of 18 miles and seven females. As it may bo justly concluded that tho majority of those persons were innocent, we may fairly deduct them as criminals from the number who passed through the prisons, which shows tho real aspect on tho increaso of criiiio and criminals. As a further instance of how the number of persons who pass through the prisons can be increased, it is pointed out that 12 r<S;u ceivod into the Lyttelton prison with sentences of one and two months for trespassing on a racecourse, but no one would dub such persons as criminals. In regard to habitual criminal, the report says there is ample accommodation for all that aro likely t (( bo declared habitual criminals within tlie next few years at New Plymouth, and time will prove the necessity, or otherwise, of building a central reformatory in the Dominion. Since the Act became law, some of the gaol-birds have flown from the Dominion, and others aro earning honest livings, so that there is reason to hope the list of habitual criminals will never bo a very long one. In regard to the tree-planting camps, tlie report states the object ot the Deparment has been to make the tree-planting establishments special prisons for good-conduct prisoners. It is possible that mistakes are sometimes made in the selection of prisoners for tree-planting, but the Department claims to bo judged by results, and when it is found that 610 have passed through those establishments aifd that 23 have escaped, while in no case has any person suffered any personal injury at tho hands of ahv escapee, it must bo admitted that' these dangerous, prisoners are not s 0 bad as they are painted, and are not yet beyond the bounds of possible reformation. The cost of maintaining town prisoners has increased to £SO 0s Gel per head,, owing to the increase of 6d ner day in the pay of subordinate oncers.