SIBERIAN PRISONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 643, 21 October 1909, Page 4

SIBERIAN PRISONS.

MR. FOSTER 'ERASER'S ACCOUNT OP '! THEM A well-filled house: greeted; Mr. Foster FraSei when'.he ltotnred' at,the'Toini HalV Inst evening" bit, "Through Siberia, and a J Dash AcroSs .•Manchuria.".:• .The. lectnro was interesting, - but. in the time (it his disposal, the speaker could only touch on the fringe of the;hugo subject, After: dealing .nt some leigth with" the trans .Siberian railway and the habits of thei, people, Mr. Fraser touched on tho possibilities of developing some 1 of thegreat stretohos.of'farminp country.' iii Siberia,'-which country reminds him'of Canada. The great difference betweer the .two', countries was' that'' Canada. had the best fanners that could bo ■■procured,:, whilst, inr Siberia, although the Government was in ■troducing ;up-to-datc machinery,; the farmer! wore: content to continuo operations , with ..old fashioned tools. .The lassitude of the Siberiai was obstacle, in the way of the pro 'gress,of the country. , :. Tho liiost interesting portion .of * the lecturf Was, that.- dealing witlr the , prison: system. ; p: ' Siberia', which: system,'according to Mr, Fraser. is totally different, from-the idea generally hell •of it. In one prison, for. instance, the inmates were' allowed lour ' hours' leisure each day There were , few escapes . from oustody,, prin cipally 'on 'account- .of-, tho passport system ir : Vogue.'in Russia,, the prisoners -being .deprivec of their passports when they aro sent to gaol and being quite unable to replace them. Go'ot conduct r men .had the'privilege-of living out side - the gaol, frequently with their, families Many of the servants in the,hotels .were.gooc conduct prisoners.;.- The hard-labour : men . wert -paid a small .wage, -which was spent, at 'tilt gaol storo, or,allowed to ; accumulate,as ;t'h< prisoner chose.' : In, one prison thoro was s theatre.. V Tho 'black spot on : tho: • Siberiai prison' system was:.the treatment, "of prisoners.. : Apart from, this," : however, .th< prisons were exceptionally well conducted. For the anniversary of Trafalgar,. Mr. Fostei Fraser has selected, for ' his. last . lecture it Wellington this, evening, his illustrated;, his torical ovation, entitled "The Balance, of Powei iii Europe," which deals largely with the vital question of l sea supremacy. . To-morrow' night Mr. Fraser : Jjegins his conntry tour or'tm North .Island, . .when he visits,.Wanga^ui.; 1 , ■ y. .** 1 ' ... - vy,'