AUCKLAND GAOL INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1198, 5 August 1911, Page 4

AUCKLAND GAOL INQUIRY.

A GREEN RIBBON AND OTHER MATTERS. (By Telecrapb.—SDocial CorreSDondonU Auckland, August 4. The position in regard to the Board of Inquiry that has been set up by tho Government to investigate charges against an officer employed at the Mount Eden Gaol is causing a good deal of interest. A reporter' who mado inquiries .011 the subject from various sources, was given to understand that tho whole trouble, arose over an incident that occurred in tho jjaol on March 17. One of tho warders, it is said, pinned a bright groen ribbon to the uniform of another warder who was born in Scotland. As it was St. Patrick's Day, the victim of the jolce was chaffed a good deal, and, in the end, he roported tho matter. Subsequently relations were far from pleasant between several of the officers. Some timo ago tho officer about whom tho inquiry is now proceeding made a complaint against another officer of having written an anonymous letter containing a gravo allegation of a criminal character against himself. Ho also dosired permission to tako proceedings against the alleged writer of tho , anonymous letter, which he could not do without the consent of .tho Department. Then tho situation changed, tho warder who had unsuccessfully asked for an investigation being, it is said, tho subject of four charges by other officers. Ono of these charges involves an accusation of a conspiracy between tho officer in the' prison and a femalo relative of a prisoner for tho purpose of securing an improper remission of portion of the prisoner s sentence. Tho other charges are personal charges. Tho date of the inquiry, which will bo held before Messrs. 0. C. ICettlo, S.M., and E. C. Cutten, S.M., has not yet been fixed. It is understood that Mr. J. R. Lundou, counsel for tho attacked warder, has asked that the inquiry be, open to the press. »