PRISON TROUBLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 102, 1 May 1936, Page 8

PRISON TROUBLE.

11l MEN DEALT WITH.

WILL WOT OFFEND AGAIN.

ONLY MONETARY PENALTIES,

Again' yesterday afternoon, as on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., the prison justice, visited the gaol and dealt with the men who were charged in connection with the disturbance on Anzac Day.

Tn batches of five, 111 prisoners appeared before the magistrate jesterday afternoon on two charges of breaches of the prison regulations. During the hearing of the charges on Wednesday and again yesterday afternoon, it was disclosed that the trouble on Anzac Day originated with the prisoners employed in performing cleaning work at the gaol. They refused to work, and were backed up by others, including a number of habitual criminals.

In nearly every case the men pleaded guilty. Various excuses and explanations were made to Mr. Hunt by tha men in mitigation of the penalty. One man of particularly small build handed the magistrate a sheet of paper on which was written the names of four other prisoners. "That's why T did not go to work." said the prisoner, meekly. "Those men got hold of me and told mo that if I took around the clothes they would kick my out."

Another prisoner whr» followed held out a hand 011 which there were several fingers missing. "I lost those finger® at Gallipoli and T did not think I should work 011 Anzac Day," he said.

Other men dealt with included one who broadcast the fact to a warder that if he had his way he would get a machine gun and mow them down, using an obscene expression, while the regulations were broken by still another who tried to lead the prisoners in the song. "The Red Flag." Several men on Wednesday were fined 5/, while one or two were given bread and water sentences of two and three davs' duration.

"I made it quite plain to tlie prisoners I dealt with yesterday tliat discipline was going to be enforced," said Mr. F. K. Hunt. "They all undertook to be of good behaviour in the future, so I imposed only small monetary penalties. I did not even stop their tobacco issue."