PRISON BREAK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24420, 4 October 1940, Page 6

PRISON BREAK

MOUNT EDEN GAOL QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE THE MINISTER'S REPLY INEVITABLE CONTINGENCY. ; (From Oub Parliamentary Reporter* WELLINGTON, Oct. 3. The escape of four men from the Mount Eden Gao] this week prompted two questions, one of them asked urgently. in the House of Representatives to-day. The Minister in Charge of the Prisons Department (Dr D, G. McMillan) replied at length, and at one stage was called to order by the Speaker (Mr W. E. Barnard). Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition. Waitomo) asked the Minister in an urgent question if he would inform the House what steps he proposed to take to prevent a recurrence of the dastardly assault on the warders in the Auckland Gaoi recently. “Is it a fact that prisoners in future are to be allowed to wear civilian clothes out of working hours, and, if so. will this not intensify the difficulties of the police in recapturing escaped prisoners and thus' greatly endanger the lives and property of the general public? ” he asked

Investigation Proceeding

“ The recent prison break from Mount Eden is at present the subject of an investigation by the authorities, and members can rest assured that should inquiries reveal that there has been any relaxation of the customary vigilance, the necessary remedial steps will be taken,’’ the Minister said. “The fact that there has not been a single escape from Mount Eden Prison during the past five ' years until this recent happening is evidence of the careful precautions , taken by the authorities at this prison, where, it is well known, the worst criminals in the Dominion are incarcerated. Similar happenings in what are regarded as the strongest prisons overseas would indicate that, ■ notwithstanding the most careful precautions, the risk of an isolated attempt at pnson breaking is an inevitable contingency facing the authorities. My inquiries disclose that the usual routine which has been orescribed over the past decade and longer was observed on the occasion of the recent escape. “ I should nerhaps state that escapes from Borstal Institutions and prison farms are in an entirely different category from an escape such as the recent one from Mount Eden.” the Minister said. “It is part of the scheme of reformative treatment to draft men to daces where they may be employed on healthy productive extra-mural work, and although a few escapes are inevitable, the long-view reclamative results of the honour system justify the relatively small risk and inconvenience involved.”

Speaker Intervenes

“ Referring to the second part of the question it is to be regretted that the honouroble gentleman did not state his facts accurately, an omission which, however, will occasion no surprise to honourable members,” Dr McMillan added.

Mr Speaker: Order! Expressions of opinion of that nature are really not in place in a Ministerial statement. “ Contrary to the implication in the question,” the Minister continued, “all prisoners are not permitted to wear civilian clothes. This privilege is accorded only to those prisoners whose industry and conduct are ■ satisfactory. The member for .Waitomo , would' have known this had ’he read the regulations. Prisoners about whom there are doubts' are, not accorded these privileges, and iiideed the prisoners who escaped were dressed in prison clothes. Moreover, contrary to the implication in the honourable member’s question, even so far as an escaped prisoner is concerned, the. wearing of civilian clothes may reduce rather than increase the danger to the: lives and property of the general public. An escaped prisoner 'in prison garb, especially if he is a really bad charcater, is in desperate heed of civilian clothes, and must of necessity commit an immediate burglary, even if it be with violence, to obtain them.” Mr S. G. Holland (Opposition. Christchurch North): You ought to provide him with a motor car so that he will not have to steal one. .

Newspaper Criticism The Minister was critical of what he described as “the irresponsible way” that seme newspaper editors were apportioning the blame and making dogmatic statements in reference to the Auckland occurrence. He knew more of the details than any editor, but would not pretend to be in a position to assess the factors operating or express a reliable opinion. Dr McMillan concluded by assuring the House that a thorough .inquiry would be held and a full statement made as soon as all the facts were to hand. Mr Broadfoot at this stage rose to a point of order and read part of his question again. Mr Speaker; The honourable Minister has replied. Mr Broadfoot; His usual dirty reply! The Prime Minister. Mr P. Fraser; Perhaps the honourable gentleman is not satisfied with the length of the reply. Mr Broadfoot: ’ am not satisfied with your Minister. Further Questions Subsequently, Mr Broadfoot gave notice of his intention of asking Dr McMillan for a return shrwing the length of the term served by persons convicted of murder and duly sentenced to death when the sentence had been commuted by the Executive Council through presumably mitigating circumstances. “If a sentence of death is to be commuted in every case of persons c -evicted of murder, will he consider the application of the cat o’ nine tails as a deter - ent?” Mr Broadfoot asked. Mr W. A. Bodkin (Opposition, Central Otago) gave n tice to ask the Minister if it was a fact that young lads who had been sentenced to a term of reformative detention were permitted to associate with criminals of the worst type. In a note to his question he said that from the report in the press of the brutal assaul* that was committed in Auckland it appeared that at least two lads, aged 21 and 23 years respectively, were permitted to associate in prison with man who had been convicted of a particularly brutal mr ,der. HIDE-AND-SEEK SEARCH FOR PRISONERS GAOL CLOTHING FOUND LIGHT MOTOR CAR STOLEN (Per United Press Association) ' AUCKLAND, Oct. 3. The four prisoners who made a sensational escape from the Auckland Prison early on Tuesday evening are still at large. They apparently played hide-and-seek with large parties of the police searching for them yesterday in the Parnell and Remuera districts, last night and again early this morning. Definite information that the escaped men had camped on the property of J. Martin Wilson, Shore road, Remuera, was obtained by the police. Important developments have been the discovery of three pairs of prison trousers and two pairs of prison socks on Mf Wilson’s property, and the theft

early this morning of a s mall car from the garage of Mr A. M. Jackson, Orakei road, Remuera, and reports from two ; women in this vicinity that they saw three of the escaped prisoners; ' It is thought likely that the prisoners, after dashing from the car in Crowhurst street, Newmarket, at 6.15 on Tuesday evening, made their way along the railway line arid climbed up a clay bank to gain the rear of Mrs West’s house in Ayr street, from whose property an overcoat, a cardigan,, a pair of socks and a tomahawk were stolen, and that until early this morning they had remained in the vicinity of the foreshore between Judge’s Bay and Hobson Bay. Large numbers of police thoroughly searched this locality all day yesterday without finding ahv trace of the fugitives, who evidently watched the proceedings from their place of hiding. ' . There is good reason to believe that last night the escaped prisoners camped on Mr Martin Wilson’s property of 17 acres, and that they lay in hiding not many yards away from a large circular summer house in which two constables were keeping vigil for the fugitives It was because of the discovery made by Mr Wilson at 8 o’clock last night that a number of police were rushed to his place to search for the prisoners “After listening to a radio message at 8 o’clock warning the owners, of all cars to remove the keys from the ignition switches. I went out to my garage to take my switch key out,” said Mr Wilson this morning. “ I did not take a torch with me. and I did not have a match. The garage door? were open. I • went into the garage, and was surprised to find that the kev had been removed from my, bigsedan. Then I got a further surprise to find a large brand-new axe lying on the rear seat of the car. This, was my own axe, and it had* been taken from the tool shed in the. garage; I immediately telephoned the police, and a posse 0 f men was sent out. Two; of them stayed all night and waited in the summer house at the back of the garage, but they saw no sign’ of .the prisoners.” -, ' - . J This morning shortly after (> o’clock about 20 detectives and' constables under the charge of Sub-inspector Hall arrived at Mr Wilson’s house and made a close search of the property, which; affords good cover in some long grass.. Under a tree on the top of-a steep cliff above the sea in Hobsonßay-; the police found three' pairs of tfbuisers, two pairs of prison socks and a tomahawk. The nearby grass had: been stamped down, - indicating' that th# prisoners had spent some time there. The prison clothing was wet through. Two overcoats were found to havt been , stolen from-Mr Wilson’p. garage. It is' possible that”' other' articles of clothing were also taken.