THE GAOL.

Press, Volume III, Issue 130, 31 March 1863, Page 1

THE GAOL.

19 Pleasing to be able to record tuiy nmeliorahoWercr flight, of the disgraceful neglect the Government lias treated the gaol fliers \xr i b - no understand that the new Police , * liavc be "i occupied, and tlmt the old , CMatlou at Clirisitcliurch has been giveu up c te wporar\- uses o f a Gnol. In addition a Lock-up lxaa been built on the other of the river.

The worse class of the female prisoners are to be removed from the Gaol at Lyttelton, and confined in the old Police Station at Clirieteliurcli, under the care of a warder and his wife. One such prisoner has been already removed, and the two still loft will bo removed shortly. There will still be five lunatic women in the Guol at Lyttelton, but the contract for the Lunatic Asylum has, we believe, been taken by Mr. Jenkins, and the building will be completed in July. Ihe Lock-up just completed in Hereford-street, will hold eight prisoners, and it is to be devoted to those confined under summary sentences from the Magistrate's Court at Christehurch. Five such prisoners have been sent over from Lyttelton, and are placed under the charge of a warder, a single man, who lives in a lent close by the Lockup. He must be a very assiduous watchor, because he is necessarily in-ient on his duty. All the prisoners under sentence from the Supreme Court, and those from the Magistrate's Court at Lyttelton, arc still to remain in the Gaol at Lyttelton. The new lock-up at Christclmrch is a peculiar building. It is designed to show how much money can possibly be spent in a temporary building: 1, There is a framing .of..ernnHmg; 2, There is an inside lining of board ; 3, There is an outside lining of galvanised iron ; 4, There are iron bars running through the scantling between the inside and outside linin". Now a prisoner might cut through the wooden lining, and if he did so one does not see why he could not cut through an inch of scantling, and so loose the iron bur and pull it out; then he would meet the iron skin outside ; if he could get through that ho would be all right; if he could not, what is the use of the bars. Wo are annoyed about those bars, because they cost a great sum of money, and wo actually cannot see them, which is hard. We record the fact that that house ia a skinned cage, because a few months hence no one will believe in those hidden bars. The remembrance of them will remain only in the Treasurer's

books. " Though lost to sight to memory dear."