168 



ARBORICULTURE 



Extract from Report of Chief Forester 

 for Year 1903-04 (Page 102) 



The employment of prison labor in 

 preparing land and tree-planting has, on 

 the whole, been fairly satisfactory. As 

 mentioned in the report of Waiotapu 

 Plantation, "some of the men are almost 

 as industrious as free men, whilst others 

 do just a sufficient amount of work to 

 escape the displeasure of the officer in 

 charge." 



As indicated in last year's report, 

 prison labor has been provided at 

 Hanmer Springs, where both the nursery 

 and plantation are worked by this class 

 of labor. 



A considerable amount of work has 

 been undertaken and completed at 

 Somes Island, Wellington Harbor, where 

 about twenty prisoners were employed 

 for some months in planting native trees 

 and shrubs for shelter purposes on this 

 exposed islet. 



Arrangements have now been com- 

 pleted for the employment of thirty-seven 

 prisoners at Dumgree Plantation, Marl- 

 borough; thirty-three at Waipa Valley, 

 near Rotorua; and forty additional men 

 at Waiotapu Plantation. This depart- 

 ment will then have 175 prisoners dis- 

 tributed over four stations. 



hardly to be compared with free labor in 

 point of speed, the works undertaken 

 have been carried out in a thorough and 

 workmanlike manner. From the 21st 

 September until the end of the financial 

 year the average daily number of pris- 

 oners employed on forestry work was 

 19.14. Three men were also employed 

 at cooking and other work in connection 

 with the prison camp. During the year 

 1903, 350 trees were permanently planted. 



Extract from Report of Assistant Forester, Hanmer 

 Springs, for Year 1903-04 (Page 108) 



During last spring the employment of 

 prison labor was commenced at this 

 plantation. Twenty-five prisoners, at- 

 tended by three officers, arrived here 

 between the 5th and 16th of September, 

 but as a certain amount of preliminary 

 work was necessary in connection with 

 the prison camp it was not until the 21st 

 of September that actual forestry work 

 was commenced. The prison camp is 

 situated on the banks of the Dog Creek, 

 about half a mile distant from the town- 

 ship, and consists of eight huts, six of 

 which accommodate twenty-five prison- 

 ers, and two are occupied by the warders 

 in attendance. Theemployment of prison 

 labor has so far proved very satisfactory, 

 the men employed taking considerable 

 interest in their work, and, although 



Extract from Report of Nurseryman in Charge, 

 Waiotapu, for Year 1903-04 (Page 112) 



The average daily number pf prisoners 

 employed was thirty, and the value of 

 each man's work averages £2>0^ for the 

 year. It must be noted, however, that 

 some of the men are almost as industri- 

 ous as free men, while others do just 

 sufficient amount of work to escape the 

 displeasure of the officer in charge. 



Remembering that tree-planting oper- 

 ations, owing to the shortness of the 

 planting season, require to be carried 

 out as expeditiously as possible, the 

 question of remunerating the industrious 

 prisoner is worthy of consideration, and 

 if an incentive was offered in the shape 

 of more "marks" and more liberal rations 

 it is our opinion that much better results 

 would be obtained. The class of pris- 

 oner who is equally happy in or out of 

 gaol, would certainly place very little 

 value on the extra "marks" which would 

 go to reduce his sentence, but this man 

 would no doubt strive to obtain more 

 and better food if he thought such were 

 procurable by industry. The majority of 

 prisoners, however, are anxious to have 

 their sentences shortened; but under the 

 existing circumstances, where every man 

 is treated alike, provided they do not 

 misconduct themselves, it is hardly to be 

 expected that a man will strive to do 

 more work than his indifferent neighbor. 



Extract from Report of Chief Forester 

 for Year 1901-02 (Page 62) 



The experiment of utilizing prison 

 labor for tree-planting in the Waiotapu 

 Valley has so far been a pronounced 

 success. A good class of men have been 

 employed — men who apparently take 



