BRUTAL ASSAULT ON WARDER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 272, 17 November 1943, Page 4

BRUTAL ASSAULT ON WARDER

mr. McMillan blamed \ (P.A.) Wellington, Nov. 16. ■ In a statement to-day Sir Hubert Ostler commented on the remarks made by Dr. McMillan, former Minister in Charge of Prisons, in a reply to Sir Hubert's statement of Saturday:— "It was not my intention to enter mto a personal controversy with Dr. McMillan, but only in the public interest to state the facts," Sir Hubert said. 'Dr. McMillan's first reply is that, as the Prisons Board has no administrative authority, I could have no knowledge ot prison administration. I venture to say that f have seen a great deal more ot the inside of prisons during my four years as chairman of the board than ever Dr. McMillan did during his short term as Minister. He does not appear to be aware that, in addition to the reviewing of sentences, one of the statutory functions of the Prisons Board is to report annually to Parliament on the operation ot the Crimes Act and other revelant statutes in relation to prisoners, and in this connection the board is interested in all phases of administration.

"Dr. McMillan complains of the charge I made that his administration was responsible for the Mount Eden trouble, and he is at pains to explain that that brutal assault was the result ot non-observance of prison rules. In excusing himself in Parliament he t n h=. ... a ? lm , i J ar statement, alleging that the incident would not have hanpened if the warders had followed the the Hnn Hansar '* When br m ?l f? as . on ln reply Quoted from. Dr McMiilan s own public statement, as Minister at the time, that 'the cusomary routine had been observed and there was no lack of care and vieiMnwn On - he part of the Dr. McMillan interjected that if he could get access to the file he could establish his point. When chairman of the Prisons Board I had access to the thlt a t n hl I « I rn able to . S,ate P° sitive >y that the files reveal nothing that »n OUj ? .? u 8 lh at there had been t?s y n ai th re on the part of ’ ,he warders in the ooservance of lhe prescribed routine. The files do reveal how.that. there was ‘ a stat ® of unhnL k pr,son whic ' l was attri,d S y 1 be . contr °lhng officers to the undermining of discipline through. l£L, aCtlons o£ the Minfeter. Mount Eden was not the only prison where (here was trouble at the time. There •4 C t a l So erlm,nal assaults on wardlnver''argill and Paparua and nthf/* S acts o£ lns uhordination in hl h th o pri m" S 'i These were attributed l/r, ,t h . officials entirely to Dr McMillan s strange conduct. DaniPd U ht nt Q to / ariOUS prisons acc °™- pamed by a stenographer and interviewed prisoners in private. What took place at these interviews is not known, but it is known that immediately afterwards masiy of the nrinrHn” , b l came insubordinate. The mm U taf£ ln several gaois had much difficulty m enforcing disciplm” i tenjfrt ? UggeSt that Dr ' McMillan Intented to cause any such trouble his actions, but he ought to have had me'thnd gO r° d . sen£e t 0 know that fhat jnethod of trying to arrive at the W S? mischievous and dangerous. It will be noted that Dr. McMillan has somewhat shifted his ground. H,s main statement, made at Dunedin, was that our Borstal institutions were tare Af ln ? ti ‘ uti . ons for the manufacture of criminals. When met with tne statistics showing that 80 per cent of the inmates never come back he remains silent. The public can draw its own conclusions. He now admits that are used, but says thev were not used sufficiently. That statement shows ignorance of the true position on his part He has probablv Tf h» r >, Pe I U K ed the , Prisons Board file. If he had he would have known that fl 1 . ,?Y ei y case where there was the slightest suggestion of impaired mentality or where specialist guidance m the matter of treatment might be helpful, the services ot psychiatrists are procured from the fine staff of partment" 1 th<? Mental Hos Pitals De! b3 Stated that Practically all prisons have a common room In every erecte< l ‘ lUrin « fhe last two dZ f sp^Cl ? l Provision had been t/11S ’ and there is a common room also in every prison camp. It quite true that at Mount Eden there is no common room but there is a schoolroom and a chapel and both these are used for the purpose of cinema entertainments, concerts, lectures, etc. Dr. McMillan states’ that the a faet tT»t de ib° speCial mention of t ?fc re 1S no common room at Mount Eden it was therefore not surprising lhat I did not recall any changes in the prison administraflL ade . by him - 1 did not claim that the statement I made of the more or less trivial reforms he had inren U a? ted <lf l ndeed fhey could be so £ alled) "’as exhaustive, but I am confident lhat ne cannot point to one