3

H.—2o

The Inspector of Prisons to the Under-Secretary for Justice. ym > — . Department of Justice, Prisons Branch, 31st March, 1910. I have the honour to present my first report as Inspector of the Prisons of the Dominion. As & result of reorganization, the administrative functions performed by my predecessor in office were taken over by you, and the duties assigned to me were more exclusively those of visitation and advice. The arrangement has worked very harmoniously and satisfactorily, and has not unduly trenched on the time occupied by my administration of another Department. Upon this date last year, Lieut.-Colonel Hume, in the opening paragraph of his twenty-eighth and last report, said, " I am glad to be able to report that the prisons of the Dominion are being handed over in a satisfactory state of efficiency and discipline." To appreciate fully how gratifying it must have been to him to feel able to write this, one has to consider that during his term of office Colonel Hume had seen the prisons evolve from a comparatively primitive condition, that he had initiated a system, and that when, full of vigour, he retired under the age-limit regulation, there were very few officers in the Department whom he had not himself selected. The late Inspector has bean appointed a Visiting Justice to all the prisons, and therefore the value of his ripe experience will not be lost. It will be interesting as a record for future reference to enumerate the penal establishments, with the number of prisoners, male and female, and the number and rank of the staff in each, at the time of Colonel Hume's retirement. This is done hereunder, and contrasted with the return upon this date, showing among other things the changes incidental to the closing as prisons and proclaiming as police gaols of the establishments at Hokitika and Wanganui.

'risons at Prison Ca; ipsat J M o S 1 I I fl W 3 I t 1 .2 >> 1 I I I I f s « Cβ a, I W 1 O I -g H I On 31st March, 1909 — Prisoners— Male Female 268 18 268 57 18 8 57 14 37 8 .. 2 I J 16 35 14 37 2 119 11 57 5 48 2 32 6 153 17 21 10 [ 857 69 I .. Total 286 65 14 39 i J 16 ! 35 j 286 65 14 39 130 62 50 38 170 J 21 10 926 StaffGaoler Chief Warder Principal and acting principal warders Warders Surgeons Matrons Assistant matrons Officers in charge of police gaols 1 1 4 26 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 .. .. 3 1 1 10 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 1. ... .. i 1 .. 1 I 1 1 ] 1 4 : 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 J 1 2 i 1 I 1 l : .'. 9 4 21 1 i 1 26 10 1 1 1 i 1 1 ! 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 15 1 1 1 4 1 1 5 1 1 2 1 1 23 1 1 1 4 ! 6 1 1 1 1 i 3 i .. 1 ' .. 1 J .. 103 9 9 4 27 .".' I 27 I • • Total 35 35 i 18 18 6 7 6 7 23 8 10 6 30 I i 5 ■ 7 I 4 ] 27 186 On 31st March, 1910,— Prisoners — Male Female 279 23 ' j 67 .. 38 9 .. .. 152 J 21 ' 42 18 I .. I .. 860 74 279 j 67 23 I 9 38 140 12 40 2 51 9 18 12 1 Total 302 302 ! 76 76 .. 38 152 60 170 I 21 ! 42 18 13 934 38 42 StaffGaoler Chief Warder Principal and acting principal warders Warders Surgeon Matron Assistant matron Officers in charge of police gaols I f 1 1 3 29 1 1 1 I "I 1 .. 1 1 .. .. 2 .. 1 ! 10 .. 3 1 .. 1 1 .. 1 ; i .. .. _ , 1 I 1 l ! i 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 .. ! .. 1 .. J .. 3 11 25 J 2 6 1 .. J .. 1 .. i .. 1 .... ■ 7 4 16 'i ! 1 1 1 .. j 29 10 1 i 1 1 ! 1 i : i I • • 3 1 1 16 1 1 1 4 1 1 5 1 1 > .. J 103 7 7 4 29 .. 29 Total .. 37 J 37 j 17 j 17 .. 7 7 23 8 9 ■ i > 33 3 7 4 29 177 I i