LIFE AT A PRISON CAMP.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 227, 18 June 1908, Page 8

LIFE AT A PRISON CAMP.

a —: TREE-PLANTING AT DUMGREE. "YOU CAN. ALL GET AWAY IF YOU LIKE." With reference to the confessions of an exprisonor at Dumgreo prison camp, published in The Dominion yesterday, a man who took part'in tree-planting, at Dumgreo under the Forestry Department, says that ho can quite believe that the prisoners wero able to get abroad by night. Free workers wore employed in connection with tho tree-planting in close contact with the prisoners, and he was ablo to make a close study of camp conditions. Four or five warders, he states, were in charge of some eighty convicts, and no night-watch was kopt. A warder, not armed with a riflo, might have to> superintend the work of forty or fifty prisoners in a lonely place. They simply had to trust the men. This informant did not know how prisoners would get to Seddon, since to do that they.would have to cross the river,. which tho officials forded in a special vehiclo. As there were only two stations near Dumgreo, ho did not think that they would meet with much excitement on their expeditions. Tobacco was doled out weekly in the camp, and special times were fixed for " smobe-oh." As the men did not go out to work on wet days, they led a fairly easy lifo. Owing to the wild nature of the country it would be very difficult for a man to make good his escape,' supposing he broke camp. Our informant stated that. Lieutenant-Colonel Hume, Inspector of Prisons, on one occasion.when he visited tho camp, drew up the prisoners on parade and told them, in the course of his remarks, that they could all get away if they liked.' No doubt the prisoners understood that their liberty would be short-lived, and probably attended by privations, that were quite unknown in camp. THE MINISTER'S VIEWS, MR, M'GOWAN DEFENDS THE SYSTEM. The Hon. J. M'Gowan (Minister for Justice) informed a pressman yesterday that ho had not heard before of nocturnal depredations taking-place liko those described by the ex-prisoner. If people had been " stuck-up" for money - or tobacco, it_ was curious that they had not made complaints. Mr. M'Gowan did not seem disposed to attach much credenco to tho story. He, admitted that occasionally men had been sent to prison camps who, it was discovered afterwards, had no intention to reform. Men had been known to cut the roots of trees which they were planting, and had been sent back to one of .the city gaols when • tho practice was discovered. He thought that the allegations were probably no better founded than those made recently in another quarter about the conduct of tho Waiotapu camp, which, ho said, had since been;, modified considerably. He thought tho fact: that out of nearly 700 prisoners who had passed through the camps less than 4 per cent: had escaped, was highly .creditable. The benefits of the system, in his opinion, were, greater than the defects that had come to light. - ' . THE EX-PRISONER REPLIES. .

Sir,—With reference to the statement that appeared in this evening's "Post" regarding tree-planting prisoners, I beg leavo to ask, through the . columns of'.your paper, from the Hon. J. M'Gowan a reply to the following questions: —Hoiv was it that during 1 a sentence;,of three years'.hard labour a certain prisoner never once saw tho Minister for Justice, and yet . had complied with the prison rules, and even got a Justice of th'o Peace to communicate to him that tho prisoner .wished to see.him? I.challenge him to deny that-a'Justice of the Peace did communicate : with him on the prisoner's behalf.; A; store was broken into at Seddon by a prisoner!' 1 '; : 1 ' '' Were'not prisoners caught coming homo in the morning by warders M Dumgreo? •. Colonel Hume received a letter posted unknown to the authorities from Dumgree, the prisoner's namo being signed in full. Mr. W. C. Buchanan, of the Wairarapa, also received a letter, and saw Colonel Hume on behalf of a prisoner. This letter was written unknown to the 'authorities. Did not a prisoner sell a padlock', hammer, etc., belonging to Mr. , clerk of Government works? . 'A prisoner cscaped out of the solitary cell and was arrested some months afterwards at Dannevirke for house-breaking, and duly received his sentence at Napier. But ho wa3 never charged before the open Court with escaping from the solitary cells, which aro underground, in tho centre of tho prison at the Terrace. Why? Another prisoner escaped from a prison, got over to Australia, was arrested some time afterwards, brought back, received six months, but never did a day of it. Mr. Taylor, then M.H.R., also received a letter written by a prisoner unknown to. th'o authorities, and immediately returned it to tho late Mr. Garvey. Colonel Hume saw tho said prisoner at the "Terrace Prison, and informed him ho had done'wrong regarding this letter. Then, why did not the officials have the prisoner punished before open Court or before a visiting' Justice. ■Wore not spurious half-crowns made at Mount Cook ? ■ ■ A warder was caught red-handed trafficking with prisoners, but was never charged before the open Court with it. What wps the reason? ■ ■ How is it Col. Humo visited H.M. Prison on three occasions, and a prisoner was not allowed to see him, and yet the prisoner complied with the rules by giving in his name to the gaoler, and gavo it in the presence of a visiting Justice? Edward Arnold, visiting Justice, communicated with Col. Hume, on behalf of a prisoner, that wished to see him, and Col. Hume replied, "Let Prisoner comply with the prison rules and I shall see him," and yet,, in the presence of a J.P. tho prisoner complied with the rules by having reported to the Gaoler that ho' wished to see Col. Hume, .and yet did not see him. Did Col. Hume know of a prisoner who repeatedly broke tho prison rules with tho object of being brought bofore the Court,' and never have the said prisoner punished on, any .ono occasion ?' A prisoner some time ago rnado a statement in New Plymouth Gaol.concerning what he had done in the way of coining at M9unt Cook, but had never been punished for it. Did Col. Humo inform a prisoner at tho Terrace Prison that ho had broken the rule 3 while over at Dumgree? Did prisonor- admit it' was i perfectly true, and not deny that ho was seen out at Seddon,- and did Col. Hume never have the prisoner punished ?.

Roughly, fiftoon or more prisoners were returned from Dumgree for breaking the rules, but were never charged' before the open Court. Six prisoners, sentenced in Wellington for broaching cargo, were sent to Point- Halswell. After a week' or two they were sent to Lyttelton Gaol, from there to Hanmer Spring, tree-planting. Some of the number were sent hack again to Lyttelton Prison, and from Lyttelton they were transferred to Dumgree. Tho Hnn. J. M'Gowan states that prisoners- will say anything, especially if they havo been returned' from tho tree-planting camps for bad conduct. A prisoner admits having broken the rules, having been caught out of camp, posting letters, stealing from rabbiters' tents, and. that he asked to bo taken before the Court, and yet tho authorities would not do it. Knowino: so much as I do of the tree-planting at Dumgreo, and tho. carrying-onl would at. any time prefer tho Terrace Prison. Cringe in the prison and you are all but spoak out your mind, and you will be treated like a dog. In conclusion, if I can get sufficient funds to enable me to pay for the hiro of a ball I will be "only too pleased to meet Col. Hume and . the Hon. Mr. M'Gowan, and state to the audience how the prisons aro run. I am not afraid to speak the - truth about the the prisons.—l am, etc., EX-PRISONER. Wellington, June 16.