LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15098, 22 March 1911, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

"AN INSUBORDINATE PRISONER." Sib,—Soch was the'heading of a news item from Auckland in last Saturday's issue, concerning a oonfinee of ? the prison there, who was brought before, the visiting and dealt with on a charge-of assaulting an officer. This is one of the most serious charges that can , bo brought against a prisoner, and the punishment js generally very severe, aa the officers must be protected in carrying out their duties. But what do we find in this case? Simply because the prisoner told the magistrate that he would not tto it again, ho loses only three jnonths , remission of his original sentence—a punishment wholly 'inade- . quate for the ofteace. ■ Another news item was from. Invereargill a few days ago. A , cpnfinee in tho prison tibere was in trouble, and appeared before the visiting justice for attempting to escape,from the prison. So 'far as i can gather, this prisoner waseinT ployed in. a billet' about the officers' quarr tors. Those who are outside the walls might say he was in a position of /trust,; but no such positione exist for prisoners. The temptation to clear out is always, there, and the officers must always bo prepared for that But tihis oonfinee eimDlv secreted himself in a part of the. prison, and I suppose when the evening muster was called lie was not to i>6 found. A search being made, however, ho was .discovered inside • some largo case or bos. Now, for this offence the prisoner had another year put 'on to his sentence. Compare this with the Auckland case mentioned, and one must see that an injustice has been done. So far as one can learn from the-press reports, the conduct of the -prisoner at Invercargill has been good, as otherwise he wonld not have got such a gaol billet In the Auckland case the prisoner's conduct has been ' very bad right from the start; arid, in fact, I "was very mooh' astonished to find that part of his punishment for a former breach of the prison regnkttiois was 30 . days' confinement in irons.".Now, as an okl prison officer, I know what that means, but.only.under the old ey6fem.' Under-the present New South.Wales system irons are a thing of the past There must bo something radically wrong in the , Auckland Prison when it is necessary to resort to irons to tame'a man. Why, such a punishment only breaks a man's heart, and'makes him worse. One thing which has always struck me upon reading the annual report of the Now Zealand prisons is the number of men who aro brought up for breaches of the regulations. A reason is that there are I too many temptations in the way of the prisoners to introduce into tho prisons contraband articles that they may pick up while outside the prison at work. Now, in my long experience as works .overseer in one of the prisons that had a very bad reputation—in, fact, I often think the very worst class of men were sent there,—wo never had, to resort to irons: in fact, punishments for breaches of the regulations were very fow; but, then, the men were principally employed within the walls—all at useful and remunerative work, —and where the temptation to commit themselves in any way was Tery slight.—l am, etc., • Commonwealth.

THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY SERVICE. Sib,—ln. your issue of the 14th'inst. I notice a. letter from Mr J. A. Anderson, of Waiwera, drawing attention to lib© unsatisfaotory nature of tho present railway passenger service between Clinton and BaJclutha. I should like to endorse Mr Anderson's' statements with, regard to the utter unsuitability of the eady morning and late evening trains as affecfang this district. I wonder how the Hon. Mr Millar would liko to be placed in the position A of those whol unfortunately are compelled by the exigencies of their catting to travel to and from Damedin by these trains—up at. 3 or , 4 o'clock a.m., do same necessary farm work, firavel a considerable distance to the station, and, after a busy day in Dunedin, Teach home about 10 or 11 p.m., and again do some horns' necessary work. I trow he would soon see the necessity of having a mow suitable train service. • Mr Miliar has shown a prais&worihy desire to irofco the railways pay, but he utterly fails to see that, by ignoring the wants of the country sottlers, he is placing almost insuporaWo otetades in the way. It is high time that country sottlers should l demand more favourable trayoUmg conditions, and, as it is only by persistent agitation that any improvement can bo secured, I trust those most interested will not allow the matter todrop.— I am, etc., . • • J.Whson.

Warepa, March 16. TAIERI DRAINAGE. Sin,—A few years ago I wrote two lettore to your papor on the drainage of flho Taieri Plain. I tjien recommended tho dredging, deepening, and straightening of the crooked parts of tbo streams and the

depositing of the mud and drift oh the tow ground as tho work of dredging was proceeding. . This would raise tho land awi mako ficst-class ground.. I was out ai H«nloy about sis months ago, and I &tw now more convinced than ever, after eooing

the bar of mud and sand that has acoiunnlafcod in tho river above tho.Henloy bridfm, that a sand pump or dredge will be tho only means to rcmcvo all tho obetruotione in the rivor. I 'believe a sand pump would be tho most useful, as the mud' and dirift could bo deposited on any part of the low ground whero most required.—l am, etc., March 20. Obsebveb.