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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2211, 8 June 1870, Page 2

The Assembly.— Wc believe that most of the Otago members of the Assembly will proceed North by the Claud Hamilton on Tuesday. Mayor’s Court. —At this Court to-day, before the Mayor, James McLay, for being drunk and disorderly, and for resisting Constable Taylor in the execution of his d ;ty, in Fleet street, was fined 20s and costs; and Ellen Maitland, for drunkenness, was fined 10s, or 14 hours' imprisonment. St. George’s Hall.—Mr Cotterill will repeat his entertainment this evaiing at the above hall. The Masonic Hall.—The hall was literally crammed last evening. Dr Carr is eminently successful as a mesmerist. He takes persons indiscriminately from his audience, and exhibits all the phenomena capable of being developed. No matter what emotions, pathetic, ludicrous, or serious, his patients when cataleptic are mere machines in his hands. An interesting programme is provided for this evening, and great interest will be felt in it.

RETRENCHMENT, Jo. vincial Council to-day notice was given (by Mr Fraser) for an address to the Superintendent to raise all the salaries reduced, to the amounts they stood at before. The giving of the notice seemed to give much satisfaction to the Government Benches and to both sides of the House. Thus, after division after division, and talk for night after night, all seem now agreed to undo all they have done. The reason given is, “ that all the salaries were not reduced yet. after failing to reduce one after another, they still went on, and some were successful. Wh re is the consistency of such a pi oec> ding ? —the reductions were either just or unjust ; if just, why commit an injustice because (even upon their own showing) they have not been able to prevent too much being voted in other instances ? It is just the land question over again— do one day, undo next. City Council, —At to-day’s meeting there were present—Councilors 'Wilkinson in the chair ; Fish, Walter, Carroll, Thoneman, and Garrick. A quantity of correspondence was read and referred to various committees. The Reserves Committee reported, with reference to the letter of the Government, on the subject of the widening of Princes street, the} 7 did not consider the work was not one which the Council was called upon to undertake, or incur any responsibility in regard to. The Works Committee reported on the claims of Messrs Solomon and Green for compensation for damages caused by the Hoods that the Council should decline all liability ; that no steps should be taken on the City Surveyor’s report in regard to streets, &c., damaged by Hoods, except iu the matter of Dundas street, and the culvert in Albany street, complained of by Mr Chisholm ; that in addition to paying half the cost of asphalting the footpath opposite the Athcnanun, the Council should pay for the extra width. The Council then The Gaol.—The annual report of this department has been published. From it we learn that the total value of prison labor performed by the European prisoners during the year is estimated at L 4,872 13s 9cl, making, with miscellaneous items, L 5,085 Os Md : ; while the labor performed by the Maori prisoners is represented at L 640. The mo/it noticeable feature in the return (as work done by Europeans) says the report, is the apparent decrease in remunerative labor, and the cause will, on comparison with former years’ returns, be found therein that all the principal or outdoor labor has, on an average, been reduced by more than one-half. It cannot, therefore, be expected that the accounts of the establishment should, exhibit very favorable results in comparison with the precedingyear, though the actual expenditure has been considerably below the estipiatc, and by many hundreds of pounds less than any previous year. The labor return, omitting the actual value of work, is strictly Ju accordance with the rules and instructions issued by the Hon. the florae becretary, for the guidance of all gaols and penal establishments iu Great Britain and Ireland. 1 hiring the first nine months the principal portion of the European prisoners were engaged in removing Bell Hill, represented by 21,944 cubic yards rock, quarried and removed. The quantity quarried is always closely measured and certified to by Government engineers, and the price, Is Ld per yard, is that fixed by competent and authorised persons. A daily average of 13.44 men have, durl g eleven jponths, been engaged on board the dredge. The work is quite exceptional—very hard, continuous, and unpleasant—and goes on without regard to weaTier. The ordinary hours of labor in the establishment are disregarded, and tho ; e who are selected for this task have very frequently to proceed to labor at five o’clock iu the morning, while they as often do not return before nine or ten in the evei ing. The Jetty extension demanded 10154 days’ labor. The strongest and hardiest men were engaged for this work, consequently the wage is assumed at 4s per day, or about two-iifths of what free labor of the same description would cost. There have been 15074 days’ labor required iu forming and repairing streets, spreading metal, kc.; and 403 days iu dm

positing rock from Bell Hill for a reclamation wall. The formation, &c., of the Botanical Gardens demanded 119.1, and the reclamation of ground and streets near the High School, 1-1961 day’s labor. Besides this a considerable quantity of road metal has been broken ; a stone enbaukincut is under formation to protect property from encroachments of the Water'of Leith ; progress has been made with the erection of beacons ; considerable advance has been made in the preparation and erection of fencing for the botanical Gardens and Hospital ; repairs to Gaol ; manufacture of cement; and on several occasions in crushing quartz. All manual labor thus employed has been charged at the low rate of 2s 8d per diem. Tradesmen’s work is accounted for weekly, and every article manufactured or repaired charged one-third less price than the department would nave to pay in the market. The average daily numb it of female prisoners has been 9. !>•”>, of whom one-third has been employed in wa-hing and repairing prison clothing, an 1 the remainder engag'd in making all the shirts, &c., required by the inmates; thereby effecting a saving in cash outlay of fully the am unit represented (L2Ol 3s ml), besides such work as must necessarily bo performed by than. The class of pri-oners received during the year presented no element worthy of special observation, and their general conduct was satisfactory.” With reference to the Maori prisoners, the Gaoler says nearly one-fourth were more or less invalided, and not tit for anything like laborious work, when received. The remainder have been trained to regular continuous labor. Their general conduct has been unexceptional, they are well-behaved, industrious, and strongly attached to their chief, Kibare Wotane Ngawakataurua, who wields a paramont influence over them ; ami it is gratifying to a.'knowledgc that hitherto he has in every instance exercised this ou behalf of order, regularity, and discipline. The health of the prisoners lias been excellent, only one case of serious illness having occurred among the Europeans. All the Maoris who have been taken ill-suffered from the complaints they brought with them —asthma, disease of the lungs, &c. The sanitary condition of the Gaol is good. The report concludes with a wellmerited tribute to the efficiency and conduct of the officials of the department.