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412 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 22xD SEPTEMBER, 1877.
It comes, in course of time, to the fifth offence, six monthe sentence is six months' hard labour.
You then very likely bard labour with a recommendation to deport him. Well, that is carried out. find, sooner or later, the same man up for returning from deportation and committing a larceny, and he gets twelve months. That is a system opposed to a fundamental principle laid down by the Secretary No greater of State for the guidance of those responsible for the administration of the criminal law. mistake can be made than that of inflicting short sentences on old offenders. cultivate a criminal class.
It tends to create n
In one of the despatches communicated to Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY by Lord CARNARVON, he enclosed copies of despatches written to various Governors on the general question of the treatment of criminals To the Governor of British Guiana (Sir JAMES LONGDEN) he says: "The principles on which you should work are no doubt well known to you. They are the separation of youthful from adult criminals, by placing the former in an industrial or reformatory establishment; the enforcement of the separats -ystem amongst adults; the establishment of penal labone by treadwheel, crank, shot-drill, or simile means for prisoners in the first stage of long sentences, and during the whole or the greater portion short ones, ami, lastly, the moral and industrial training of those prisoners whose sentences are long enough to warrant the conclusion that a system of reformatory training will not be without its cf in their fature disposition and mode of life." These are well known and indisputable principles. B in Hongkong, you have no separation of youthful from adult criminals; no Government reformatory no imlustrial school; no moral or industrial training of any kind; you shut your eyes to the fit career and mode of life of discharged prisoners. Where there is such a total absence of reforinate training, and where you avow it is hopeless to improve the moral condition of the Chinese prisoner and where you have a set of Turnkeys who cannot speak their language, you cannot expect a decrease
Before I caine, Mr. Administrator AUSTIN reported that, owing to the complaints against the Turnkeys, from his own personal observations of them, he was convinced a reform was necessary, al he suggested getting men out from England. Lord CARNARVON, struck no doubt by the admission the Gaol Committee that those who had care of the prisoners knew but very little their languag character or disposition, suggested that an endeavour should be made to get trustworthy Chines Turkeys. In writing to his Lordship, I said:-
of crime.
"I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch No. 66 of the 1 of June. with reference to Mr. Administrator Ausriy's report of the 11th of April on the misconde of the Turnkeys in the Hongkong Gaol, and in reply to his suggestion that Turnkeys, to reces salaries of £100 a year each, might be obtained from England. Your Lordship instructs me to consid the expediency of getting two trained Warders from the Home service, at salaries of £150 a yer each, to be on an equality with the officer now styled Head Turnkey; to weed out from the present class of Turnkeys the most unsatisfactory members of the class, and to employ some trusty Chines as Assistant Turnkeys under strict European supervision.
I am enabled to reply to your Lordship's despatch without delay, as I had already obtained considered the necessary information on the subject, and decided, as a provisional measure, on the course your Lordship indicates.
6.
From the enclosed copies of letters from the Acting Superintendent of the Prison, recommend the disinissal of certain European Turnkeys who had been guilty of drunkenness in the gaol and be prisoners, and my minutes agreeing to this recommendation, and further dismissing another Turnk who had recently committed a third assault on a prisoner, your Lordship will see that, at the cad June and beginning of July, some vacancies in this class had been created, and that I proposed fill them up with well-conducted men who could speak Chinese. Accordingly, I instructed the Act Captain Superintendent of Police, Mr. CREAGH, to report how far he could recommend the employer as Turnkeys of four Chinese policemen or other Chinese. Mr. CREAGI named three men who is Larue excellent characters in bis Department, a Chinese Sergeant Interpreter and two Chit Constables. He also recommended, looking to the temptation they might be exposed to in pris that they should be called upon to give large security; and he added that the three men fie selected were willing to find security to the extent of $500 each.
With a view of obtaining more information, and as an additional precaution, I directed CREAGH's report, and the various minutes and papers, to be sent to Mr. HAYLLAR, Queen's Cous who had been so useful as Chairman of the Commission that reported, in 1872, on the organization
the Police.
"Acting on the Report of that Commission, and on the evidence of such high authorities as LEGGE and Sir EDMEND HORNBY, my predecessor had taken the important step of extensive employing Chinese in the Police Force.
some
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 22ND SEPTEMBER, 1877. 413
"Mr. HAYLLAR expresses the opinion that Chinese, who have carned their characters and undergone disciplinary training in the Police Force, who are in a position to offer security, and who would receive sufficient salaries, fair play, and reasonable instruction in their new duties, would be calculated to give a high degree of satisfaction as prison Turnkeys. I venture specially to draw your Lordship's attention to the last two sentences in his Report:---
I would only add, that apart from the great and obvious consideration of language, wherein the advantage lies with the Chinese over all other competitors likely to seek the tower offices in the gaol, the former are, in my opinion, owing to their sober-mindedness, docility, and sense of responsibility, better fitted for the work than the latter. Neither in the previous characters, habits, or discipline of mind of this class of foreigners, are, in my opinion, to be found sufficient guarantees for that fair dealing towards prisoners which should form so important a factor in the good management of a prison: and further, looking to the natural tastes of such men, their social environments and the effects of climate, they are subject to temptations quite as deleterious in degree, if different in kind, as those which affect the Chinese.'
"Carrying out, therefore, the views of competent local authorities, as well as complying with your Lordship's wishes, I have provisionally appointed SENG Lò Tò, WONG YEE, and NG KAM FUK, to be Assistant Chinese Turnkeys at salaries of 286 per month each.
"On the important question of securing a few specially trained Europeans for the better posts, I avail myself, with much satisfaction, of your Lordship's offer to secure two skilled Warders from the Home service. One of these I would propose to appoint Warden, in succession to Mr. CORCORAN, whose resignation I reported in despatch No. 80 of this date; and the other I would put on an equality with the present Head Turnkey till some other arrangement could be made. The Warden's salary is £250 a year. It may be well to allow it to increase to £300, by annual increments of £5. The salary of the new Turnkey from Home would be £150,"
You all know the shocking condition in which Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY found the Police Force of Hongkong. No Governor could inherit a more difficult task than the necessary reorganization of the Police; and he has well earned the gratitude of this Colony and the thanks of Her Majesty's Government In his last despatch on this by his prompt decision to recruit the bulk of the force with Chinese. subject, Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, writing to the EARL OF CARNARVON on the 14th of November, 1876, said :--
"Shortly after my assumption of the adininistration of this Government, I arrived at the conclusion that the best mode of increasing the efficiency of the Police Force was to strengthen the Chinese element in it.
"The policy then adopted of developing the Chinese branch of the force has proved most satisfactory. "The Chinese contingent has done excellent service, and has shown itself capable of being drilled into a high state of efficiency."
It must be admitted, however, that the happy idea of largely utilising the Chinese as Police was not confined to Mr. HAYLLAR'S Commission and to Sir ARTHER KENNEDY. Before that Commission assembled, and before Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY became Governor of this Colony, an honourable gentleman, whom I am happy to see seated at our Council table to-day, my friend Mr. KESWICK, as a member of the Legislature, suggested that policy, and pointed out the advantages of having Chinese in the Govern- ment service and especially in the Police.
There were a few who doubted it; my honourable friend Mr. May did not think it a proper Well, then, my idea of having Chinese Turnkeys thing to do; but it has turned out a great success. in the gaol is nothing more than the natural development of Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY's policy. I take no credit for it myself, for it was only following out what my predecessor had so successfully done in another and cognate department.
i
Now, in connection with the state of crime and prison discipline, a Governor is bound to pay There occurred in a very great attention to the opinion of the medical officer of the prison. neighbouring Colony, in the year 1875, a serious event which led to a lamentable destruction of life, and in connection with that, a despatch was addressed by Lord CARNARVON to the Governor of Hongkong, in which be says: Sir, I have had under any consideration in relation to the outbreak in February last in Singapore gaol, the desirability of subjecting prisoners to what is called penal diet," and then Lord CARNARVON suggests that certain changes may be made after consultation with the chief medical officer. In Singapore gool a system of very great severity to Chinese prisoners was tried. Dr. LITTLE, an eminent Surgeon, and a Member of the Council, happened to be on leave of absence when the change was established, and on his arrival in the Colony he made a remarkable statement. He said, with reference to the change made in the discipline of the gaol, and especially in the matter of penal diet and the way it was applied to Chinese prisoners, "I protest before God against it; it is certain Well, the solemn protest of that professional gentleman, and one too with thirty-six years' experience of the Chinese, was disregarded. You know the result. With reference to a number of the men who murdered Mr. DENT in the prison, the Judge reported that the prisoners pleaded guilty, they wanted to be hanged, anything sooner than life in that prison; they were But it was impossible prepared to do anything. They were hanged, for they had committed murder. for the Government to lose sight of the fact that the recommendations of the medical officer had been set at nought. It is not merely that the physical constitution of a prisoner is affected by his treatment
It is due to Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY to say that he had found the Hongkong Police avto lead to serious consequences. indifferent force, and that he left it vastly improved. He frequently expressed the opinion that increased efficiency was mainly to be attributed to his having carried out Mr. HAYLLAR'S reconner
1, therefore, caused the papers on the ation of recruiting the bulk of the force from Chinese. staff to be sent to the same gentleman, with a request that he would favour the Government with views as to the employment of Chinese Turnkeys in the prison; and I have the honour to lay Report before your Lordship.
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