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Questions.
V. How are the prisoners classified?
VI. Is renal labour—that is, labour by tread-mill, crauk, or shot-drill-in force?
VII. If so, during what periods of imprisonment, in respect of what classes of prisoners, and during how many hours, is such penal labour enforced? In stating hours of tread-wheel labour, give first, the total time on and off the wheel, etc.; secondly, the length of spells and intervals of rest.
VII. What kind of labour other than penal labour, is in use?
IX. If the prisoners are employed beyond the walls of the Ganl, state-
1. Un what kind of work they are so employed?
2. How are they supervised?
3. How many escapes of prisoners, while being employed beyond the Gaol, have taken place during ench of the last three years?
4. How are the profits of their labour accounted for? X. What was the total annual cost of the Prison during the year 1874?
XI. What was the annual amount of the prisoners' earnings during 1874?
XII. What are the number of hours allotted for sleep? And, if sleep is in association, are the dormi- tories lighted; and how often are they patrolled during the night?
XIII. What were the number and nature of the punishments inflicted for offences committed by pri- soners undergoing imprisonment?
Answers.
According to the nature of their sentences, their nationality, and occasionally according to their habits and temperament, as follows, viz. :—
Europeans, Indians and Chinese.
Debtors,
Misdemeanants,
Penal Servitude,
Prisoners on Remand and for Trai.
All the prisoners of the above classes are separated at night, on the works, and in the yards, as much as Jussible.
There is no tread-mill labour, but shot-drill, crank- labour, stone-breaking and oakum-picking are in forec. None of the prisoners are now employed outside the Gaol.
The hours of labour for all prisoners in this Colony throughout the year are from 7 A.M. to 4.30 P.M., one hour being allowed for dinner. When penal labour is resorted to, men ou the crank have to complete not exceeding 15,300 revolutions per day; men at shut- drill 3 hours per day, in spells of half an hour at a time, with stone-breaking or oakum-picking during the intervals.
Washing clothes, cleaning the Gaol, carpentering, repairing the Prison, &c., &c.
No prisoners are employed outside the Gaol since November, 18738.
Nil.
In the year 1872 the number of escajes was 9; in 1873, 1, who was recaptured within half an hour after his escape; in 1874 uone,
Nil.
The total aumal cost of the Prison during the year 1874 was $29,637.65, or £0174.10.21⁄2, as' agiust $28,921.06, or £6,025,4,5, during the previous year, not calculating any monies reimbursed for military und naval prisoners, debtors, &c., &é.
The amount of the prisoners' earnings during the year 1874 was 8279.15, the proceeds of oakum-picking and mat-making, which was the only profitable work carried on in the Gaul, the prisoners being kept as much as possible to strictly penal labour.~Junk is supplied by the Naval Yard and the Storekeepers of the town for picking into oakun. The labour of the prisoners is charged for at the rate of 4 per ll. of aku picked; the money is collected and jail into the Treasury.
The average time, during which the prisoners sleep,
is about 9 hours in 24.
The dormitories are not lighted, but gas is burning in all passages and corridors.
Turnkeys are on duty in the Gaol throughout the night and patrol the corridors and passages constantly,
The number of prisoners reported for Prison offences during the year 1874 was 470; out of this number 7 were discharged, 37 cautioned, and 426 received the pupishments detailed below, viz, :— 17 Solitary coufinement ouly.......
do.
253
Do.
•
do.
54
Do.
G
Do.
do.
on Rice and Water
on Bread and Water
on Rice and Water
and ordered to wear double irous.......
2 Solitary confinement and ordered to wear
double irons..
1 Ordered to wear double irous..
For hort Periods,
89 Corporal punishment, “4 out of which were g
dered to wear double irous for a short p11al besides.
3 Stoppage of a meal of congee,
1 Additional imprisonment with hard labour top 9 mrmths: (this is a sentence by the Polter Magistrate, before whom the mein was taken for an assault on a fellow prosulier)
426