THE NAPIER GAOL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 365, 16 April 1910, Page 2

THE NAPIER GAOL.

TO BE CLOSED. IN THE INTERESTS OF 11EF0£M. By Cable—Pms Association —Copyright. j Wellington, April 14. ! .' : The Government has decided, on my: recommendation, that the Napier Gaol shall be closed." said the Hon. Dr. Findi'ay, Minister of Justice, to a reporter this morning. " I arrived at • the determination to close a number of gaols in New Zealand," he added, ''for various reasons: firstly, because the multiplication of gaols' stood in the way j of proper classification and reformatory i treatment based upon proper classifica-j tion; second, because some of these j gaols were unnecessary and the cost of maintaining prisoners in them, prob-! ably due to t'he fact that prison labor'

was almost wholly unremunerative, was 1 excessive. At Hokitika, for wliere the gaol lias been, closed, the average cost of maintaining prisoners was over £7O a year each. The cost; of maintenance at . the Wanganui Gaol ( which has been closed, was also higfl." "It is part of my sehefhe," the 'Minister continued, "botli on the score of proper scientific reformatory treatment and also on the .score of economy, to close such gaols. In some cases this cannot lie done until the prison farm, the preparation of which is now being pushed on, is far enough advanced to receive the prisoners' from those gaols. As regards the Napier Gaol, prison labor there is, for a number of reasons,' exceptionally unremunerative. I find that for the years 1907, 1908 and 1909 the total annual earnings of each prk soner did not amount to more than £3. That is to say, the State lias to find the total cost of maintaining ablte-| bodied men, the value of whose labor! does not exceed on the average £3 a ! year. Another reason why the Napier, Gaol should be clos'ed is that we have l to face two alternatives we must] cither close it or rebuild it. The present building is very old and dilapidated, and in any case the time is rapidly approaching when the Government would have to adopt one or other of the alternatives I have mentioned. Also, the site of the Napier Gaol is onej of the most picturesque and valuable in that part of the town which faces the esplanade, and if it is not required for a .prison site it can. no doubt be devoted to a much more useful purpose.' " When the gaol at Hokitika was closed the Department established what is called a police gaol for the housing and detention of .prisoners ' awaiting trial or those sentenced to short terms of imprisonment for smaller offences. Such gaols' serve for Timaru and other centres. They are worked in conjunction with the police force and cost a fraction of the expense of running a fully, equipped penal gaol. Provision will be made at Napier for such a gaol.' '■ Under the new system of farm work and prison industry I -have every confidence," remarked the Minister in conclusion, "that we can save the .pockets of the community thousands of pounds a year for maintenance of our prisoners, and at 'the Same time carry on up-to-date reformatory work."