REPORT ON PRISONS DEPARTMENT.
14
33 126
In Hong Kong there is roughly one warder to every four prisoners, and one European warder to every fifteen prisoners. In Shanghai the figures are eleven and one-hundred-and-one respectively, and in Singapore eleven and thirty-two
respectively. Hong Kong therefore has proportionately by far the greatest staff, both European and Asiatic, of the three cities. The Superintendent stated that had he a properly laid out gaol he could look after treble the number of prisoners with practically the same staff. But against this it has to be borne in mind that in Shanghai down to 1928,
under infinitely worse conditions than obtain in Hong Kong,
the prison staff was far less than it is in Hong Kong, and
now with the new gaol in Shanghai, is less still.
In view of
2. The Commissioners have already reported to Government
their views on the necessity of building a new gaol, but they
wish once again to stress the important point that the site
of the prison should not be on valuable land, nor on land
difficult, and therefore expensive, to develop.
this Government should approach the Air Ministry as to the
possibility of the utilization of the original site at
Ngau Shi Wan, where some three lakhs has already been spent
in piling. Failing this, the piece of land lying in the next
bay to the east should be considered. It is capable of easy
development, has a water supply, and would allow of all transport being handled from the sea. It is essential that
the Police Training School should be nearby.
3.
The existing plans of the new prison also need to be
thoroughly revised in the light of modern prison construction.
The Commissioners were not impressed with the lay out.
must be remembered that it is cheaper both in cost of
It