PRISONER'S PARADISE.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5339, 21 May 1909, Page 4

PRISONER'S PARADISE.

! THE HAXMEK PRISON CAM , REVELATIONS AT THE INQUI CHRISTCHUHCH. May 1 [ . The discipline in Hanmer prl camp has for sonic time past , parcntly been anything but etfei , lary. and the Commission which quired into matters on AVednes? (according to reliable informnti ; discovered that some alterations the method of government w< I have to -be made iit the camp v to be continued on regulation Hi It appears that Gaoler Murphy ' in charge of the camp for some ti and wh;Vlo he occupied tjifait posit , he was assisted 'by three wax< and . two men connected with Forestry .Hepja.rtm'ent . Murphy, is stated, wus not a strict discip <uiaii. and -ttoereforeTfixtnagoment the camp develyped into a very h py -{go-lucky" sort" of style. Natui Jy,. everyone \v«-s -perfectly sutisi under this regime,; and. as one g tluinmi descrilwd it to a pn-ssm it was more like a picnic than a thing elso. Itecvnlly Murphy's hoa H.iecaane so bii'l itlst't he was fbr< to apply for ktave, and the Depo rnent granted 1 his- recfuest, and'plai f Jaoler Howling, the present goverr ,of iln; trump, iv ctiarge.'iWnrtier Ci yon was at -this ti«K> clerk ih' 1 office« Bowling immediately saw tr the camp previous to-his arrival h not been run on strictly orthod lines, and he immediately' sjet work to stra&hten out matters. r I warders duiSntf ■'Murphy's g'overm ship wcr&i-with t ho permission' Colonel Humo— allowed to lei t prisoners play football and cricket certain occasions hhd Carlyon us to participate in Ihc games. Tl Howling objiected to, hnd he later) moved Carlyon to a position charge *of a gang 1 . According ; Carlyon, as they were short-hande it wasammjied that 80-wlingshpu Ltake his tUrn in lockingi up.,atiiig und unlocking in the. 7i>orning, b when the time arrivetf for Dowlh to carry out his port of the co tract. Howling refused, and order Cnrlyon to do the work. Carlyc thereupon refused , ami Howling su pended him for refusing duty. Car yon immediately communicated wji Wellington and asked for an irnqvnwhich Mr Hishop, S.M., heW-on We nesday. During the inquiry, whi< «as. of a Departmental -nature r was stated that Lfrisk, assist«nt fo ester,? was.- a|so ; charged withrefiisir duty on a" certain Saturday an Sunday.. He explained that Mr Cur (chref forester) was away on a hoi day, and had gHven 'him instruct!^ prior to his departure that he ws not to take instructions from tk prison authorities, consetjuently h refused to do what Howling tol Win to do. The jmtlpr will lje r< ferred to heiLdcfuartertg by the Con missioner for frtqruiiy. 7* L^ask wa further charged with maliciously dc stroying six cords of firewpod fn th prison plantation. He stated in ,re gard to this that only leaves aSu small branches were cut off am burned, and the remainder of th. wood was cart«J in tb the camp Carlyon was charged with falsifying the books, with mixing with ' $hi prisoners 100 freely, playing fooJL bail, etc.. and being incompetent as a \rarder and refusing: duty. He ad mi t ltd that he had 'been a lxarm a r prior to his appointment to the camp at Hannier., He had never been in a first s -class prison before, tout he had served ,in the -Inj^ferial Army for two years^^Jffir s%l fe tyfit pi aye d foothall witK the prisoners on Saturday afternoon, the prisoners' halfholklay. These games wore played wkli i+fe permission of Colouel Humfe He denio:! falsifying the books. a»ki stated they were air right when he left them. Be asked that they be exam-hied' The report of the* Commission has to be made to the Government, ami nothing is yet known* as to the nature of the recommendations made. It is understood however, that Carl.yon handed in his r fr signation at the close cl the proceedings and various changes will probably be made as the result of the i imquiry. c ■ , ■•■ ? tout Gold MeHflt