PRISON SCANDAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 22, 26 January 1934, Page 7

PRISON SCANDAL.

WELFARE ISLAND. STIGMA ON NEW YORK. New Mayor's "Clean Up" Brings Appalling Revelations. 1000 CRIMINALS ARRESTED. United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyricht) (Received 1.3*0 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 25. The investigation of the racketeering scandal at Welfare Island penitentiary was continued to-day with more appalling revelations, which are likely to make the prison management, which was under the previous Tammany Hall administration, one of the greatest political scandals in New York's history. Extended search of the institution produced more lethal weapons, great supplies of narcotics and large quantities of "home brew" beer fermenting in milk tins. Some 1400 of the inmates j were practically on starvation rations of inferior cold food, while the remaining 200 were able to pay 50 to 75 dollars a week for "board" to a clique of their gangster rulers, who ate special fare from the money appropriated to feed all the inmates. Ono convict, who became insane by tho stoppage of narcotics, attempted to commit suicide in his cell to-day. The prison library of 2000 volumes has completely vanished, and the cooks have admitted that they used the books as fuel. Meanwhile the investigations of laxity in other city departments reveal what the officials have termed the "champion stayer away from work. A political appointee to the Department of Markets, during the six years lie was on the pay roll, has been absent 1080 out of 1800 working days. Others took extended leave without restraint by their superiors. In the first 25 days of the adminis- | tration of the nev Mayor, Mr. La Guardia, over 1000 gangsters and gamblers were arrested, and enough evidences ' of graft and corruption was unearthed to require a year or more investigating.