PRISON WARDERS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14918, 17 March 1914, Page 3

PRISON WARDERS.

ALLEGED DISCONTENT.

(PBES3 ASSOCIATION" TELEGRAM.)

AUCKLAND, March 16

A good deal has been said lately concerning discontent amongst the wardens in tho New Zealand prisons regarding their conditions of work. The Wellington "Evening Post" of a recent dato publishes an official statement, denying that there wa_ any reason for discontent, and maintaining that tho men were not called upon to work moro than eight hours per day. This assertion is* not endorsed by several men who recently threw up their positions m Mount Eden gaol, and who state that discontent is rife throughout the Dominion. One of tho warders, who recently resigned from Mount Eden gaol, stated his grievance to a '"Star" sentative this morning. ''There are," ho states, -'only 38 warders in the institution to look • after nearly 3<X> prisoners, and they work from nine to ten hours per day." According to the ex-warder "in question, there is particular discontent in regard to the hours which men on night duty work. Two warders watch over the prisoners during the night for something lik*» eleven hours, but it is so arranged that between 7 p.m and 6 a.m. each man takes five hours' sleep in a room from which ho can readily be summoned. This room, t is alleged, is infested with vermin, and has been the cause of endless trouble. Bugs, ho states, are the. terror of those who have tho misfortune to find their way into the wooden wing of the gaol, and it is alleged that prisoners have even had their eyes "bunged up" with bug bites. It is stated that in the last three weeks there have been four resignations at Mount Eden.