South Canterbury Times, TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 1881.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2568, 14 June 1881, Page 2

South Canterbury Times, TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 1881.

The colony is now in possession of Captain Home’s report on the prisons of the colony. Before the report saw the light of day many surmises were given as to its contents ; indeed, one gentleman went so far as to criticise the English of the document, and stated that Ministers had to “lick it into a shape ’* which would be presentable to Parliament. It has. been further stated that the new Inspector of Prisons intends vindicating his knowledge of Lindlay Murray in a Law Court. Leaving such extraneous matter on one side, we will deal with the document itself. There is little that is original in it, and that which is original should find little favor with the public. Captain Hume is of opinion that the present system of punishment is neither deterrent nor reformatory. In every article which has been written and every speech which has been uttered on tbe subject the same sentiment has been conveyed. Had that not been the opinion an “ expert ” would not have been engaged in the Old Country, and Captain Hume would have had no occupation in this colony. The Inspector of Prisons truly says that the chief defect in the gaols is want of classification, and to effectually classify the prisoners there should be one large central prison capable of accommodating 300 prisoners, to wbicb all male offenders sentenced to penal servitude should on conviction be sent, and so kept entirely separate from hard labor prisoners daring the whole period of their servitude. There would have been a central penal establishment long ago had it not been for provincial or local jealousies. Taranaki coveted the profitable “ honor,” bat as onr legislators thought that that provincial district had already got more than its share of colonial expenditure the additional boon of a large Government establishment was denied it. Doubtless, if members could have forseen that several hundred native trespassers would be incarcerated for a lengthened period in prisons in the South Island Taranaki would have been decided upon as the site of the big gaol of the colony. It would have been so handy, and wbat is more, public opinion would not have been so directed to their illegal detention. But then, it may be said tbe Maoris were not convicted offenders. That is quite correct. However, it would have been as easy to relax a prison regulation in their case as to keep them in gaol eighteen months for a simple act of trespass, even though certain parties believed that the trespass was dangerours to the peace of the colony. The want of a central penal establishment being admittedly the greatest defect in the prison arrangement, the question is, where is it to be built. The claims of Taranaki will bo revived, but probably with less force than formerly. That place is now getting its harbor made at the expense of the colony,and as the original object was that the prisoners should he employed on the Breakwater, there is now no special

reason why Taranaki should be the place selected for criminals, except that it is somewhat out of the world. This was brought forcibly on our observation some dozen years ago when on the passage from the Mnnukau to Wellington. There was a stowaway on board the Phoebe, and when Taranaki was reached it was proposed to put him ashore in a surf-boat. He howled at the prospect, and as he would not leave by peaceable means the police flag was hoisted, and a constable in uniform was soon approaching. This evidently struck terror into the heart of the stowaway, and he managed to find the price of the passage to Nelson. “ Begorra,” said he “if I was wanst landed there I would niver get out again.” The “ garden of New Zealand ” had no attractions for the unlucky Thames miner. As far as people here are concerned they would rather see the central gaol at Taranaki than Timaru. Just imagine the expression in everyone’s month all over the colony : —“ If you got your deserts,you should be sent to Timaru 1” Taranaki was too greedy. It should have been content with one good thing at a time. A railway, a harbor, large “ war ” expenditure, and a big penal establishment were advantages which no place could hope to secure at one time. Now, if the Chatham Islands were fixed upon no provincial jealousies would be aroused. Still the disastrous escape from the Ghathams of Te Kooti and his followers, who afterwards murdered many settlers on the East Coast, may be urged with some force as a reason for not locating criminals there. There will be a mean fight over the question of the site, but until that is settled it is idle to talk of prison reform in New Zealand. Captain Hume thinks that the prisoners of the colony are not flogged so frequently as is good for them. He recommends “ birching ” for unruly malefactors, and says that it is a much safer punishment than “ flogging.” “ A rose by any other name, &c.” The reason he gives is that “ placing the recipients on the same footing as boys has a humiliating effect.” He upsets one’s idea of the criminal altogether. The man whose feelings are so fine as to distinguish the moral difference between a birch rod and a cat-o’-nine-tails is capable of appreciating and profiting by a less degrading system of reformation. It is to be feared that the only difference the vast majority would feel would be in the weight of the stroke, and that they would prefer the birch to the cat. Whatever may be the idea in England, it is clear enough out here that the cat is a more dreaded instrument than the birch rod. The strong and hardened criminal blubbers at the mention of the former ; the larrikin barely winces as lie is ordered the latter.

There arc other portions of Captain Hume’s report which call for comment, and we will revert to the subject at a future period.