PLEASE EXPLAIN

NZ Truth, Issue 1146, 17 November 1927, Page 6

PLEASE EXPLAIN

How Goes It On

Rangitoto ?

"When a man or a woman is a prisoner he or she should automatically be m the care of the State; and the presumption being that the prisoners are not there for all times it is incumbent upon the authorities to see that they do not suffer injury to health or limbs. . ON Rangitoto there is a prison camp where there are about 20 men and two warders. They are engaged m making a roadway to the summit of the crater, and m this performance there is a certain amount of risk and danger. . The prisoners have some drilling' to do preparatory to blagting for metal with gelignite. Though the warderi do the actual firmg 1 . of the shots the prisoners do the tamping. "N.Z. Truth" draws attention to this fact m particular, for where such work is done there is always a risk entailed. ' The general health of the prisoners is also a matter worthy of , consideration, even if Rangitoto is notoriously healthy and picked men are 1 sent there. It has come to the knowledge of this paper that the medical supplies are of the most elementary nature. There is not even a pair of . scissors, tweezers, or. a set of splints m the apology for a firstaid equipment. Neither is there a visiting medical officer. , So far as the latter is concerned it is quite possible that the prison authorities look upon a periodic visit from a medical man as an unnecessary expense, but -at the same time there is a very clear obligation on the part of the prison authorities to watch over the health of the men m its charge. In the matter of first aid outfit the case is very different, aowever. Presuming that every warder is more or less trained m the administration of first aid, their knowledge ?.s of tut little use if they have not the whei-e---withal on hand should the contingency arise. There is always the possibility of some accident of a serious nature taking place, either m blasting: or tamping the charge home. Inhere are a dozen and other things which might happen at aiiy time, and under the conditions which prevail it is, to say the least of it, not fair to prisoners or the warders that all the necessary paraphernalia is not -on the spot. Moreover, there is a larger issue at stake which may not have occurred to those who control the destinies of the department, and that is the humanitarian one. As it is at present, if a man received severe injury he would have to await relief until a semaphore message had been picked up by Mount Victoria, telephoned to Mount Eden, and the officer m charge informed. He would then have to make up hia mmd — possibly he might refer the matter to Wellington; one never knows — -and then perhaps after hours ■ of suffering, relief might be sent to the injured man by a motor-boat. Such a state of things opens up a host of possibilities and leaves the impression that there is a lack of foresight somewhere which is outpable.f