GAOL COMFORTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 August 1923, Page 5

GAOL COMFORTS

PARLIAMENTARIANS’ DEMANDS “CIGARETTES FOR WOMEN.” (Special to “Star.”) WELLINGTON, August 10. The Estimates were under discussion in the House to-day, and it was a long weary process getting * through some six classes. Prisons and prisoners provided a topic with which some members seemed to show an intimate acquaintance, both prospective and retrospective. Numerous suggestions were made, principally from the Labour benches, in the direction of making the gaols more pleasant places of abode for what one Member described as the political guests of the Reform Government,” but the Minister of Justice defended the present methods of dealing with prisoners and effecting their moral reformation. By way of variety, the Leader of the Opposition inquired whether an agitation by women prisoners, which, had commenced during his term of office as Minister of Justice, for the supply of cigarettes, was progressing favourable. Mr. Parr did not show sympathy with the introduction of this modern development into gaols. Many old topics were discussed with a vigour which suggested to the casual visitor that they were thoroughly novel. Midnight was reached before any real progress was made in getting through the programme, but after the Opposition had exhausted themselves in criticising a certain appointment in the Marine Department business began to speed up and by the time the House rose at 3 a.ra., more than half the estimates had been passed. The remaining fifteen to be disposed of include Railways, Defence, Education, Agriculture and Police.