THE New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1885.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 7488, 28 May 1885, Page 2

THE New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1885.

It is not going too far to say that a Christchurch telegram, which we published yesterday morning, disclosed a very disgraceful state of affairs at Addington gaol, one of the the principal prisons in the Colony. The gaoler complained in open court to the Christchurch Resident Magistrate of the difficulty that was experienced in dealing with persons who were committed to gaol when suffering from lunacy induced by excessive drinking. We must assume that he spoke the truth when he said that there were then five such cases in the giol, and that the men were all raving mad, and “ that, in fact, the gaol was transformed into a regular bedlam.” It was, in consequence, found impossible to maintain discipline. The' answer given by the Resident Magistrate was that the gaoler should telegraph to the Government for more assistance. Providing a larger staff of warders would, of course, be one way of getting rid of the difficulty. The madmen could then be looked after in a fashion, and yet the ordinary work of the establishment be carried on without interruption and without risk of prisoners making their escape. Such an arrangement might be satisfactory to the gaoler, and would, at all events, relieve him from undue responsibility. But there must surely be something wrong about a system, or an administration, under which lunatics are confined in a gaol. It is not the proper place for them, no matter how large may be the staff of warders. The telegram’ did not state how these five men, or any of them, came to be committed, but their madness is attributed to excessive drinking. They may. have been convicted of drunkenness, and sentenced to imprisonment, and insanity or delirium tremens may have been developed after their arrival at the gaol; or they may have been only arrested for drunkenness, and detained pending their getting , back into a fit state to be brought before the Bench. But it appears, certain that the Addington gaoler would not have spoken of the cases as he did if they had been instances of ordinary drunkenness, from which the person would recover in, the course of a few hours. If he had meant that the gaol was being turned into a watch-house, and that the gaol officials were being troubled with the usual noisy watchhouse business, he would have said so. He spoke of the men being mad, as though the nuisance were something of a continuing character. .We are not prepared to say that the authorities—that is, the police and the Magistrate —could' have 'sent these persons to any other place of confinement. The iaw may have been strictly, complied with, and nothing beyond ordinary drunkenness may have been suspected when the committals or remands were made out. But there is a line of demarcation between the ravings of drunkenness, and insanity’or delirium tremens. A medical man can pronounce when drunkenness—the first effect of an excessive use of intoxicants—has passed away, and insanity or delirium has set in. In many instances an ordinary observer can decide that point. As soon as the line is passed, the patient becomes a fit subject fop special and careful medical treatment, which he is certainly not at all likely to receive in a gaol. If the ordinary wards of a lunatic asylum are not proper places for such cases, a special establishment or a special ward in a lunatic asylum ought to be provided. It is nothing short of a crime and a cruelty to keep in the cell of a gaol a man who is suffering from such a ter-" Tible affliction as insanity or delirium tremens.. It would be-interesting,to learn what the" practice with regard to such cases is throughout the 1 country. Does .Addington stand alone,, or ,do the other gaols, contain prisoners who have been driven into delirium tremens or madness,by strpng drink?_We hope that the question" mil be "asked arid satisfactorily answered when • Parliament meets; : . By and :by one or more of these Addington’ unfortunates may die on the hands of ,th’e ’ga6l '’authorities, and then public . indignation will be aroused.-