Untitled

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3160, 15 August 1881, Page 2

On the subject of educating prisoners a correspondent writing to the Dunedin Star points out that Captain Hume in his report states that the system of endeavouring to educate prisoners is a mistake, and that the assembling of prisoners together for the purpose of school tends to great irregularity. He adds that it stands to reason that a man who has performed his day's alloted task of hard labor cannot benefit by attending school, and therefore recommends that the schooling of prisoners be abolished. In appendix A., of his report, he divides the prisoners into 3 classes, and those of the first class he would allow to have their dinners baked as a reward for good conduct, whilst the second and third are to have only common prisoner's fare. But how is a prisoner to get into Class No. l.f

Hear what Captaio Hume says in Section 12 of hi.« report: "No em.viev can hepromoted to first class unless he cm rtad or torite, or lias done his best to learn to do 30 ! " If he comes into prison for n term of years, asd cannot read or write, as a great many do, and he bpoomes one of the best conducted men in the prison, he never can be promoted to first class, nor will he ever be a member of the "Baked Dinner Department," if the Captain's proposed abolition of schooling were carried out. In other words, his motto is—Keep the poor man low; and when be is down, keep him down.