BUILDING A PRISON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21142, 28 March 1932, Page 7

BUILDING A PRISON.

MAKING DELINQUENTS HELP THE METHODS OF 1842. ; WANGANUI'S FIRST GAOL. Wanganui's first gaol was built in 1842 in peculiar circumstances and after there bad been considerable' agitation in Wellington concerning the lawless state of the settlement. Complaints concerning the Settlement were made after it had been advertised that certain properties of the New Zealand Company were ready for selection. The advertisement was followed by an influx of people, into the riverside town who, finding that tho notice was somewhat premature, stayed when they found that the place was cheap and agreeable to live in. Their arrival was followed by tho establishment of two grog shops, one •on each side of the river. It was soon after this that comments irf the Wellington newspaper appeared criticising Wangjjnui £or its. lawlessness. This Avas attributed to the: runaway convicts who had collected there and to the conduct of tho Government in licensing two grog shops.and the failure to provide any officer to maintain law and order. These charges were supported by several cases of drowning caused by excessive drunkenness. Chief Constable Appointed. In 1841 Mr. John Garner was appointed chief constable for Wangainii by Governor Hobson, who was influenced by the reports of lawlessness from the town. In his diary Mr. Garner stated that he left Wellington on September 1 in the schooner Surprise and arrived at Wangantii 12 hours after—a record trip in those days. 110 also mentions that on. the way the ship nearly rah over a whale and scared the' women passengers considerably* "Tho Wellington people gave Mr. - Nathan, sergeant of police, and myself a fortnight to live after our arrival,"' states Mr. Garner m A letter to a When he arrived at Wariganni the chief constable fired off two brace of pistols to ■ inform the residents that he had come to protect them and the convicts that lie had arrived. But instead of this he found four magistrates arid a few settlers."1 went U P to a-man digging in the" garden," Mr. Garner continues. "He vfas poorly dressed and ho looked as though • he had just arrived from Old Ireland. I said, 'Old chap, where is your master?' He answered, 'I have, no master.' I said* 'I have a letter from the Governor for King, Esq., magistrate,' and he replied, 'I am Samuel Esq.' " The mistake did not seem to affect the friendly rela-: tions between the two, for the magistrate lent the policeman his tent until he could build a whare. "

Building of the Gaol. "In December," said Mr. Garner, "tha gaol was beguD, and finished in February. Instead of the magistrate fining " offender's money according to their transgressions, ordered them to bring one hundred feet of timber for the first offence,; two hundred for the second, and so on; so the gaol cost nothing for the building,with the.exception of £l2 .which was paid • to me for my work. When completed I had no prisoners to put in, so *1 bought; freely of potatoes and pumpkins and filled it, with the exception of the room where I slept and had my desk." _ •- It was stated that .when the work of . building .the gaol was going a little too slow for the requirements of the magis- '• trate and the chief constable, the sergeant ■> ordered to go down on the quay and Collect a few "drunks" or "near-drunks.'' l " This was never very difficult arid .that - building proceeded until tho roof was ta • Be made. This was to be of shingles. Unfortunately, all the shingle-splitters in; .. the town were teetotallers and could not ; be run in as easily as the haunters of tha' quayside. There -was no money availablei . to hire them,, so. ingenuity, was necessary to get their" services. Finally one was . arrested for assisting at a dog fight and the problem of making a roof was solved.- j