OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1213, 13 January 1886, Page 3

OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

(From our own Correspondent. ) " The Prisons Act, 1883," and Captain Hume are not altogether a pronounced success, as the following episode will show. Iv July last, Henry Percy Fisher, a new arrival, was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for horse-stealing. Immediately on his removal to the gaol, he commenced to play up, and was brought before the Resident Magistrate and sentenced to a term of bread and water. This did not quieten him, so he obtained a longer period, this time in irons. He was brought up at the Police Court on Saturday in order to receive sentence upon three charges of which he had been convicted before. The gaoler stated that out of six months he had been in gaol he had been 60 days in irons and 57 on bread and water. The gaol surgeon was frightened that the prisoner's health would suffer, so he instructed the gaoler to communicate with the head of the department to see if any other sentence could be imposed. An opinion was obtained from the Solicitor-General to the effect that he considered "The Prisons Act, 1883," allowed a man to be sentenced in open Court to a further term of imprisonment beyond his original sentence. The Justices, however, declined to accept the risk of sentencing Fisher to a longer term, so they gave him 42 days more bread and water. Later in the same day, Fisher was charged with having on three separate occasions behaved in a riotous manner, and was ordered more bread and water. The gaoler states that the gaol surgeon will not allow these sentences to be carried out for fear of injuring the man's health, so they are now in a quandary how to act. The man will not behave himself, and the authorities have no means of making him do so. As I have before stated, Mr Phillips (the gaoler), although a strict disciplinarian, and not possessing the softest of hearts, when consistent with his duty, does what he can for prisoners who behave themselves. In the case of Fisher, kindness has had no effect on him. It appears to me that the only remedy in an extreme case like this would be the " cat," and there is no doubt that corporal punishment would bring even Meßsrs Fißher, White, and twe or three more to their senses.

The annual session of the New Zealand Educational Institute has just concluded its sittings, when some really important questions have been discussed. Dominies as a class have the reputation of being queer fish, but the Council of the Institute seemed to be made up of thoroughly intelligent and well-read men. They passed a resolution to the effect that the school age should not be raised, and their reasons for bo doing were principally because they have fouud by experience that it does not hurt children going to school at four and five years of age. In all other countries the school age is lower than in New Zealand, and Mr White the Secretary of the Council, produced statistics in support of this. With regard to pupil-teachers, the members of the Council were of opinion that the term of apprenticeship should be five years, and that there should be one standard of examinations for the whole Colony. The scholarship question was thoroughly discussed, and important resolutions carried respecting the working of a good system. Their deliberations were wound up by a dinner at the Shamrock Hotel, the Premier of the Colony (an ex-schoolmaster himself) being in the chair. The Hon. Mr Stout, in proposing the toast of the Institute, made a capital speech on the education question, showing that he was quite at home in the minutest details respecting this important subject. It was, perhapß, rather curious that the Bible-in-Schools question was not brought up at all at the meeting of the Council. It is too much to imagine that all the schoolmasters in the Colony are at one about this question, and a debate between them should have |been a means of furnishing outsiders with arguments for and against Bible-reading in schools.

The Supreme Court criminal sittings were concluded last Saturday afternoon. The three men charged with embezzlement were all found guilty, and sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from three to five years. Contrary to the generally expressed opinion, Mr Stephen Stamp Hutchison did turn up ; but the grand juryj ury threw out the bill. The charge of indecent assault against Noonah, an ex-gapl warder terminated in a very different way to whufr wa« expected, as he got off. It was ? however, touch-and-go ewith him, as the jury were 10 to 2 about it, and there ia no doubt but that Hia

Honor's remarks re being locked up all night had something to do with their arriving at their conclusion. It would be interesting to ascertain how the two men were convinced, whether it was because they wanted to get home, or whether the remainder of the jury bullied them into it, Margaret Brown was also acquitted, and it was doubtloss the only thing that the j ary could dn ; there was a doubt in the case, so the jury gave hur the benefit of the doubt. Mr D. M. Stuart made quite an eloquent defence for her, and the verdict should help his practice now that he has started for himself. The two men who tried the confidence trick on the Chinaman received a couple of years each, and the remainder of the prisoners received sentences under twelve months. The civil sittings commenced this morning, but there are no cases of overwhelming interest to be heard. Stewart v. Roydhouse, the Wellington libel case, will only interest a very small portion of the community. 11th January, 1886.