WARDERS' GRIEVANCES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2010, 18 March 1914, Page 8

WARDERS' GRIEVANCES.

THE AUCEAND COMPLAINT. "MISLEADING IN EVERY DETAIL." The Minister of Justice (Hon. A. L. flerdman), interviewed yesterday regarding tho,: statements telegraphed from Auckland: as' to discontent among tho. warders in tho Auckland prison, as to the hours of duty and other matters, stated that the remarks- alleged to have been made by the, warders'whose services have' recently becn'dispensed with,, are either inaccurate or misleading in every detail. ... Ho went on fo; say that recent inquiries had showu'bo'yoiid question that there is absolutely no general discontent amongst. the officers employed in tbo Mount Eden prison;- among them, as among all bodies of men, there are I occasional differences -thai' , require adjustment. Kccent investigations into -'the affairs of Mount Eden gaol resulted ".. ■ in'the dismissal /of; an',,ofh'cer, who is probably one ofl those referred to. as having "thrpwiv - 'up* his ■ position." . Other officers, again, who are found unfit for their work as prison warders; are sometimes "allowed to resign," and, of course, this sometirees' leads to state- • ' meuts of tho kind now being dealt with. Referring to the- nlleged .discontent'in jJGspqct..to. tho hours which tho men. oii' night "duty work, Mr. Herdman pointed out that, although these men wero nominally oh duty from 5.31-p.m. to. 7.50 a.m., the' night watch consisted oftwd'.'men, .'each .of'whom had five hours sleep during that time.- In. any . ;case, ,this duty -.was- taken' in rotation, iihd no" oho officer was called -upon to do night'"duty :! of this 'character more ■ than/for,,a. .fortnight in every five /months. '■■'■ _ ■ ■ ■;;■■■ . • / The statement that warders were re- . I quired to work from nino to ton hours a day.was,quite misleading, as it would indicate that that was the average time per day worked try each warder all the year round, which was' far from being , ' tho. case. . Even , during, .tho. summer months, while in winter work ceases one. hour earlier, and tho staff, of course, gets the'full'benefit of this concession. . Comparison.with prisons in other countries showed that the hours worked in • Now Zealand wero less than those elsewhere. Another misstatqment made was in regard to the number of warders that '■ were employed-to look after 300 prisoners. As a matter of fact, the numeipj tit pa.?o[dwa s.t3p.ißAV ovctu jo jsq prison is forty (not 38, as stated), and the averago /number of male prisoners they are called upon to' supervise is 260' per day, not 300. . -•'■'. . . . ■*"lii regard to, tho highly-coloured statements as to. the night-watch officers* room being infested with vermin and bugs," said Mr. Herdman, it is only quite recently that any complaint in this direction was made to tho Department. An inspecting officer immediately inqiired into this matter, and ' on...finding..that bugs had occasionally been seen in tho room in question, instructions wero given that a room in the main stono building was'to bq prepared at once for the officers on night duty, and that the quarters hitherto used wero to bo entirely abandoned. "It seems strange," added the Minister, "that when I visited Mount Eden gaol at tho beginning of thn .year, no complain was made to mo. I went over tho prison with the gaoler, and I % certainly formed tho opinion that the institution was. managed ,admirably, ami, that everything was working quite smoothly." ANOTHER REFUTATION. (By Telegraph — Press Association.) Auckland, March 17. The complaint made- •by an exivarder yesterday that there is acuto discontent. amongst' tho warders in Mount Eden gaol, in common with other warders in similar institutions, wero refuted by the' Gaol Governor at Auckland, this morning/ Tho warders employed in Mouni Eden Gaol', Mr. Ironsides declares, havo an easier time * than do warders in any other gaol in New Zealand: ■ In tho summer time tho men work eight hours per day, and in winter seven hours only. Those in the gaol servico had a far and away 1 easier timo than those in the police service,' working, easier hours under easier, conditions,. in addition to more regular, hours. Warders had every second Saturday-afternoon off,' and every second Sunday off; thoir pay was not so good as that of the police constable to begin, with, but after a' few years' service it'worked out to vcryrmuch the , . same thing.-.•■■ ■ ■,<■-. '•..- •<•