INACCURATE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 35, 18 March 1914, Page 5

INACCURATE.

WARDERS' CONDITIONS. allegations denied. Press Association. I "WELLINGTON, March 17. The Minister of Justice, the Hon. A. 11 Herdman, interviewed to-day regarding statements appearing in the Auckr iand papers as to discontent among the Warders in the Auckland Prison over fcours of duty and other matters, stated that the remarks alleged to have been made by warders whose services had ■recently been dispensed with were either inaccurate or misleading. Recent . enquiries, he said, had shown beyond ' question that there was no general discontent amongst officers employed in the Mount Eden Prison. Among them, 98 among all bodies of men, there were ; occasional differences that required adjustment. Recent investigations into, 'fh» affairs of the Mount Eden Gaol re- ' Stilted in the dismissal of an officer, who itras probably one of those referred to as having "thrown up his position.'' Qther officers, again, who were found Unfit for their work as prison warders were sometimes "allowed to resign," Jwad this sometimes led to statements of ijfche kind now being dealt with. La regard to the alleged discontent in respect of hours which the .men on night jduty work, Mr Herdman pointed out that- although these men were nominally |on duty from 5.30 p.m. to 7.5"0 a.m., the night watch consisted of two men, each of-whom had five hours' sleep during that time. In any case, this duty was taken in rotation, and no one officer was called upqn to do night duty of this Character for more than a fortnight in five months. The statement that the warders were required to work from sine to 10 hours a day) the Minister £dded, was quite misleading, as it would indicate that that was the average time per day worked by - each wander all the year round, which was far from being the case even during the summer tooths, while in the winter work ceased ie hour earlier, and the staff,'of course, rthe full benefit of this concession, comparison with prisons in other countries showed that the hours worked in New Zealand were less than those forked elsewhere. Another misstatement .made, said Mr Herdman, was in regard to the number of warders employed to look after 300 prisoners. As f matter ef fact the number of male iffardera employed in the prison was 40 rnot3B as stated), and the average number of male prisoners they were foiled upon to supervise was 260 per H»y, not 300. Mr Herdman further stated that in Regard to the statements as to the Itight watch officers 1 "' room being infested with vermin, it was only quite "recently complaint in this direction was made to the Department. An inspecting officer immediately enquired into this matter, and on finding that vermin had occasionally been Seen in; the room in question instructions .were given that a room in the main etone buiidtng was to be prepared,at * once for the officers on night duty, and i)Chat the quarters hitherto used were jfo be entirely abandoned. /'lt seems strange," concluded the Minister, /' that when I visited the Mount Eden jgaol at the beginning of the year no ■ Complaint was made to me. I went over the prison with the gaoler, and I certainly formed the opinion that the institution was managed .admirably and /Chat everything, was working quite Smoothly." A DENIAL. . T • ... ■ Press Association. AUCKLAND, March 17. , The complaints made by an ex-warder 'yesterday that there was acute disconitent amongst warders in Mount Eden. (Jaol, in common with other warders in fimilar institutions, were denied by the igaol governor at Auckland this mornJng. Warders employed in Mount Eden, Mr Ironsides declares, had an easier '.time than warders had in any . other prison in New Zealand. In summer lime men worked eight hours per day/ •Jand in winter seven hours only. Those $n the gaol service had far and away ,iin easier time than those in the police eervice; they worked easier hours under tasier. conditions. In addition to more legular hours, warders had'every Saturday aftenoon and every second Sunday Off. Their pay was not so good as that Of the police constables to,begin with, }>ut after a few years' service itworked out to very much the same thing.