for the occupation of children. The children might ho conveyed to and fro likotvise, when tending the 
trees or gathering the fruit. But the only saving to be thus ed'ected would be in the use of land already 
fenced ; and where land is so plentiful, and the prisons and industrial schools not immediately on the lines 
of railway, the loss of time would more than counterbalance any saving in the cost of fencing. Others 
besides fruit trees are recommended, to be planted by prison labor, or whatever men may happen to bo 
available from public establishments; the tending or other light work to bo done by the women and 
children from these. Many portions of those strips of land would be highly suitable for the olive or the 
mulberry, neither tree bearing fruit attractive to children, and the produce when needed could be taken by 
rail to places suitable for the erection of mills or the keejiing of silk-worms. Various modifications of the 
system of rendering pri.son or other State labor available for the planting of such strips of land have been 
proposed. For instance, as before mentioned, the frees might bo planted, tended, and the produce afterwards 
rendered marketable wholly by men, women, and children from .State establishments ; or the trees might be 
planted and tended to a profitable age, and the plantations so established then let to tenants for a period of 
years ; or the land might be merely trenched by prisoners, and then let to tenants, to be furnished also, 
from State nurseries, with such young trees as it might be desirable to have the ground planted with. 
Then a mixed system of gardening and railway repairing is suggested. Men competent to undertake the 
ordinary repairs might be placed in charge of certain short portions of the lines, to be visited frequently, 
while their extra lime might bo expended on the land at each side in gardening or planting trees. The 
cork-oak and bitter almond arc pointed out by many as very suitable trees; but there is a direct opposition 
of opinion amongst your correspondents as to whether the lines should be planted with deciduous or ever- 
green trees. Tho former are recommended by some as afibrding shade in summer, and a free access of light 
and air in winter ; while tho falling leaves are objected to by others as likely to increase the danger of fires. 
There is, however, at certain seasons a considerable fall of leaves from evergreen trees. This danger of fire 
is one to be carefully guarded .agaiust, and a proposed mode of doing so is to cause all the trees to grow 
with high stems, to allow of cattle or shee|) grazing beneath the branches and eating the grass bare. It is 
oven suggested that, whether trees are planted or not, no grass should be allowed to live, the ground being 
covered with some strong-growing variety of raesembryauthemum, which would remain green throughout 
the summer. Such and so many are the opinions in regard to planting the vacant land beside the railways ; 
and although the schemes for rendering this available may be only partially feasible, tho fact remains that 
there is, on tho wholo, a rather largo extent of fenced-in land of almost every quality ready for the trial 
of experiments or tho formation of State nurseries. 
Industrial Schools and other State Estarlishments. 
Query 12. IIoxo could the labor available at State establishments, schools, hospitals, or atip 
other public institutions be advantageously utilized for the furtherance of such new 
industries as those beloio mentioned ? 
One of your correspondents, a settler near Ballarat, taking a comprehensive view of this question, 
has wisely written — “ I cousidor the subjects of query 12 of vastly more practical importance than all tho 
rest on the paper, which may bo safely left to privato enterprise. That question must be considered and 
determined by the statesman and ratepayer when they can deal with it wholly apart from political bias.” 
That is to say, it will bo for the statesman to determine first, what sort of training for neglected children 
and prisoners will be most beneficial for themselves and tho country, or what new industries are adapted 
to its special requirements ; then for tlio ratepayer to say how much he is inclined to expend on converting 
useless and detrimental into useful members of society, or on the introduction of new industries, affording 
no immediate return, but likely at a future day to be the source of profitable employment to many people. 
State establishments for farming aud such ordinary occupations are generally, and strictly speaking, failures 
from a monetary point of view ; but children and prisoners have to be fed aud clothed, aud if the money returns 
from their labor are small, they might, with most advantage, be einjiloyed on special industries calculated to 
aflbrd valuable teaching to llieftiselvos and others. Therefore it is at Slate establishments that new industries 
likely to be of use to tbo country ought, in tho opinion of your correspondents, to be first tried. Tho State 
can obtain more completo information about these than private individuals, and the State has the land 
and the labor of men, women, and children to carry out the experiments at little extra cost. Olivo 
oil and silk are more particularly jininted out as two products requiring tho teaching and example of 
tho State to make them popular within any reasonable spado of time. On this head gentlemen before 
quoted say — “ \\ o strongly recommend extensive plantations of olives and mulberries in connection with 
tho industrial schools ; oil manufactories and maguaneries to be of course in connection with these 
plantations, otherwise the experiments would bo useless.” Much ground might be trenched and many 
olive and mulberry trees planted each j'ear without adding materially to tho expense of our gaols. 
When these come into bearing there are women and children to make use of tho products. Thus it is 
recommended that there should be largo reserves of lands round every industrial school or other place 
intended for the rece])tion of men, women, aud children to bo maiutuined by the State, in order that outdoor 
occupation should bo' found for these, rather than work at tho ordinary indoor trades and occupations, so 
liable to bo overstocked. Besides, it is thought by many that prison or State labor should not bo brought 
into competition with that of private individuals; and new rural industries would have the advantage of not 
causing any such competition, either in regard to tho products or the persons trained in them. Take, for 
instance, the two articles already mentioned, olive oil and silk. Tho competition of the State can never 
reduce the value of these, nor of opium, aud other minor products of a like kind, while the example and 
tho opportunity of learning how to conduct these now industries would be most beneficial to tho coramunit}'. 
Ihus, for many reasons, tlie introduction of now rural industries is commended to tbo care of tho State. 
By means of several ot these, occupation can best bo found for many of tho children now at the schools 
half idle, or, at tho best, only learning trades at which they have not teaching or piuctico enough to become 
proficient. The nature of the work would be mostly of a kind suited to tho capacity and favorable to 
tho health of children, and boys and girls old enough to go out lo service would easily obtain the best of 
situations. 'Ihe now industries would be brought into extended operation firat bv tho most intelligent of 
our settlers, and tho children becoming skilled in these at the industrial schools would bo eagerly employed 
as teachers of others ; while as now, only half-taught, they are taken from the schools to bo put to tho 
