THE MOUNT COOK CENTRAL PROSON.

Colonist, Volume XXV, Issue 3465, 22 May 1882, Page 3

THE MOUNT COOK CENTRAL PROSON.

A. PROTEST AGAINST ITS ERECTION. On May I7tb, a large number of .gentleman interested in the welfare of Wellington, interviewed the Hon. T. Dick, Colonial Secretary, ior the purpose of protesting against t.he erection of a central prison witbin the city boundaries. Subjoined were some o,' thfl arguments used :— Mr J. Mackay, Principal of the Wellington College, suid his reason for opposing the erection ofthe central prison at Mount Cook was based upon the effect it would have upon the youn» people attending the education institutions in the neighborhood. In edutation as in everything else, liabit vvae second nature, and we could not be too careful in our endeavors t> place

before the minds of thuyoung nothing but the truo, the b« autiful, and the good. Ho did not S)e Wv young people could fail to be injured by having presented to their ejes daily the spectacie of the most brutish of their kind. Mr Parker said the site upon which the Government bad commenced to erect the new prison was as nearly as possible in the centre of the City of Wellington, and this was as grave an objection as could be raised. Mr T. Turnbull said there were other thinga also to consider in the discussion of such an important queation. There were frequent outbreaks of what was known aa gaol fever, and it must be remembered that the establishment that wag about to be erected was not a gaol proper, but a general penitentiary for the colony. It was now a recognised principle that gaols should never be erected in tho centre of a city. In the United States tho prisons were all far out of the cities. Mr T. K. Macdonald said one important view of the matter waa the depreciation in the value of surround--1 ing property in consequence of the erection of a central prison at Mount Cook, and this was aw element which residents and property-holders ia the immediate neighborhood had a right to bring forward. Mr J. Dransfield considered it was a monstrous thing to use a piece of land worth £2000 for a central penal establishment, when for £500 h more suitable site could be procured for the purpose required. It had been said that the close proximity of the Constabulary Barracks gave the Mount; Cook site for a central prison an advantage over all other sites, but if | that were the only reason he did not see why the Constabulary Barracks could not be removed to any other site that might be chosen. There would not be any very serious cost attached to the removal of the bar.. jacks. Mr T. Bucbanan said that so far as his knowledge of the Australian Colonies was concerned, there was not a single instance of the erection of a large central gaol in the centre of a city. When the Darlingburst Gaol at Sydney was erected it was not in the thickly populated part of the town, as afc present, but a considerable distance away in the bush. Mr Dick said he was surprised that the enthusiasm on the subject had awakened at such a late hour. It was now almoßt nine months since the vote was passed, and it was then distinctly stated that it was a vote for a central prisou afc Mount; Cook. He had waited a considerable number of j months—as long aa he could without { allowing the vote to lapse—to ccc j whether the inhabitants of Wellington had any objection to this prison being erected there. He conversed with i editors of newspapers, and encouraged them to write ou the subject in ordtr that he might see whether any response came from the public. There waa no response at that time. He did not think much would be seen of the prisoners at tho Mount Cook Gaol. They would be kept there in a penal establishment, and (hough the building would not be so handsome as some of the erections of the ancients referred to, it would be a respectable building, at any rate. Mr Mackay asked whether the prisoners would not be ia the streets on their way to and from their outside work. Mr Dick replied that some occupation would no doubt have to be found for the prisoners outside, but they would be taken into the centres of population as little as possible. Mr Mackay naid he had seen a prisoner in the streets with irons upon him. Mr Dick s,vd that was a pity. However, he did not suppose that Mr . Mackay would object to having some of the prisoners at work in the College grounds even before the boys; in fact, Mr Mackay had asked him for some prison labor. Mr Blackay explained the circumstances under which he made ths application. Mr Dick was sorrr he could not see his way to grant the request of the deputation. The Government had gone too far to stop, unless those who opposed the erection of the Mount Cook prison thought that they might be able to get a vote from Parliament to stop it. If that were dune, he would be quite content; but, under the present circumstances, the Government could not go back after spending so much money. It was a mistake for the members of tho deputation to suppose that this was to bo a prison for the whole Colony, for there waa a similar establishment afc Lylteltou, where long-sentence prisoners were confined, and no complaints had been made there Then there v?as the prison on Wellington Terrace, which was surrounded with nice houses. In fact the nicest houses in Wellington were ia the neighborhood of that prison. Mr Mackay knew that the Nelson College had been near th prison there for years ; that there had been nothing unpleasant—no disagreeable aroma in consequent . He admitted that in the future it would be well to take the gaols as far out of tat cities as possible. Mr T. K. Macdonald a*k; jd whether in the event of a member lor tuo city bringing forward a Bill t ■ have the Mount Cook reserve vest d in th' Corporation, the Government woulu give it their support. Mr Dick said he would nob lika to

commit the .Government to any particular action in the matter.' There were a number of persons in Wellington who would object, and regard ie as disastrous that a work that bod been commenced should 'be stopped, and that Wellington should be overlooked in the matter of the erection of this gaol. The deputation then thanked the Hon the Colonial Secretary and with; I drew.