H.—2o

4

Value of Prison Labour for which Financial Credits are not received. Owing to the fact that the Department obtained financial credits from the Public Works Fund on account of tho work carried out on the Roto-aira Road, and in certain other directions during the past year, the total value of the labour employed on works, buildings, &c., during the past year is shown as amounting to less than it did in 1917-18, but the total remains sufficiently substantial to indicate that our policy of finding reproductive employment for all able-bodied prisoners is still being vigorously pursued. As in previous years, the estimates of the value of prison labour employed on buildings, roads, &c, have been made by the Public Works Engineer for the different districts, and are all based on freelabour standards.

Table 2.—Total Value of Prison Labour employed on Roads, Buildings, Reclamation, Wall-building, and other Public Works, for which no Financial Credit has been received, for the Year ended 31st March, 1919.

In addition to the large amount of developmental work that has been carried out on the different, areas now under our control, which, while adding materially to the capital value of our properties, cannot be shown in balance-sheet form, the various prison industries have been carried on as heretofore. The. estimated value of this part of our work, calculated on the basis of the saving to the State by the employment of prison labour in different directions, is shown in the accompanying table, No. 3.

Table 3.-Value of Prison Labour employed on Prison Works and Industries, for which Cash Credits are not obtained, for Year ended 31st March, 1919.

Summary. £ Cash and financial credits earned by the Department, 1918—19 .. .. 21,654 Estimated value of prison labour on public works, 1918-19 .. .. 11,577 Estimated value of prison labour employed on prison industries, domestic work, &c, 1918-19 .. .'. .. .. .. .. 19,823 Total value of prison labour 1918-19 .. .. .. £53,054 The gross expenditure of the Department for the year was £95,324. If from this is deducted our total earnings as shown above (£53,054), the net cost of the Prisons Department to the State for 1918 19 was £42,270.

Prison. Buildings and' Walls. Construction and Maintenance of Roads. Excavating Block- Reclamation for Buildings, making. Works. Totals. I Auckland Invercargill £ 1,682 £ £ £ £ £ 1,682 2,860 5,057 1,978 Paparua Waikeria Wellington 3,942 870 568 540 1,115 Totals .. 6,494 568 540 1,115 11,577

Prison. Boot- Tailoring . making (including for Officers] Repairs) and ' and Red Prisoners, j Cross work. Gardening and Farming. Buildingwork. Quarrying and other Work. Domestic Employ- Totals, ment. Addington Auckland .. Invercargill Kaingaroa.. Lyttelton .. Napier New Plymouth Paparua .. Roto-aira .. Waikeria .. Wellington Minor gaols £ 330 18 171 16 3 457 16 41 77 5 £ 617 207 11 41 £ 437 333 1,098 324 35 239 1,561 76 2,270 783 50 £ 552 567 3 £ 1,949 150 279 57 £ 325 1,179 628 247 486 121 285 420 250 571 738 100 £ 1,379 4,550 2,293 742 936 240 568 2,438 560 3,416 2,540 161 218 534 135 807 6 Totals 1,134 1,689 7,206 2,009 2,435 5,350 19,823