§ MR. ARTHUR O'CONNORasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether his attention has been directed to the fact that at Gosport Military Prison the labour of the prisoners is almost entirely confined to shot drill and picking oakum, and the conduct of the prisoners there compares unfavourably with that of military prisoners elsewhere, and to the further fact that, according to the Report of the Governor of Brixton Prison, the substitution there of various industries for the monotonous employment of oakum picking has been attended with most satisfactory results; and, whether he will secure the same treatment for the Gosport prisoners?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONI quite agree as to the advantage of providing profitable industrial labour for the prisoners in military prisons generally, and the commencement made at Brixton has been part of a general scheme. The difficulty, however, is to find suitable occupation appropriate to the several localities; and at present it has not been found practicable to employ industrially the prisoners at Gosport. I am still in communication with the In- 363 spector General of Military Prisons on the subject.