LYTTELTON GAOL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10231, 14 August 1911, Page 1

LYTTELTON GAOL.

WARDERS' ACCOMMODATION. Complaints having been made recently regarding the nature of the accommodation provided at Lyttelton Gaol for single men who are employed as warders", a representative of the " Lyttelton Times " visited the gaol on Saturday and was shown the warders qmu'ters by the gaoler, Mr A. W. ironsides.

Access to the building is_ gained through the exercise yard. 'Hie kitchen was the first room visited, and the reporter was . informed that this room also served as the dining-room. Ihe floor was spotless where tkeyboards u ere not covered by sacks. Y\ ater is laid on inside, and the whole of the kitchen utensils were clean. A table in the middle of the room was laden with food, and a cook was making a cake for Sunday. The gaoler stated that for years the kitchen had served its double purpose, although the range made the room rather hot in the surn-

mer. A visit was then paid to the warders bedrooms. In the first room visited, which contains a fireplace, there are four beds, and there is a wardrobe for each man. The mattresses of the beds are of kapoc or flock. The beds are well provided with blankets. It is understood that complaint has been made that the sheets are changed only once a fortnight, but the reporter was assured that" if a man dkl not take the trouble to take his washing every week to the laundry, there was only himself to blame. The laundry was always at the disposal of those employed in the gaol. In another room containing two beds the conditions are similar. I.n the combined kitchen and diningroom ventilation is provided by three casement windows and two ventilators in the roof, and an adjoining room has two casement windows and one roof ventilator. Complaints, it is stated, have been made in reference to the noise from the yard, but all that could be heard oil Saturday was a faint murmuring. The question of the close proximity of the mat-snop to the rooms has been raised, but although the quarters are separated only by a single wall, the workshop is some distance away, and anv noise from it would probably be slight, Complaint has been made that no special room is provided. for warders on night- duty, who wi-ii to sleep during the, day, but the gaoler stated that the night-watchman's duties com monced at 0.30 p.m. and tcrinino."ted at 8 a.m. tlic following day. Two men were told off for this wotk, and they divided the hours between them. A special room in the western wing of the gaol was allotted to them. This room was inspected by the reporter. Each man is provided with a comfortable bed, and apparently thoie is no danger of the men's rest being disturbed. _ A grievance m regard to lighting mentioned, and the gaoler stated that for some time past the lighting of the quarters had given trouble. An export from the local gasworks had been called in. and while new pipes were bo ing installed candles had to he used. The troubles had been remedied, and tho bedrooms had been supplied with incandescent lights. Complaint was mads recently against the regulation requiring warders to be in the" quartars by ten o'clock each night, except on those nights on which they were granted late leave, and then they were expected to return by midnight. Late leave is limited to two nights in the week, and is not granted on two consecutive nights. It is stated in support of this rule that should late leave be granted oftener the duties of the nightwatchmen would entail some hardship. Of tho two men on duty at night, it always falls to the lot of tlie man taking a rest to open the gate, as it is Imperative one man should be 011 the watch. Complaint was made also that the hospital was only twenty-five feet from the men's quarters, and infection was feared. Tn this respect the medical officers have given an assurance that there is no danger