CO129-184 - Governor Hennessy - 1879 [1-5] — Page 17

498 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 19 OCTOBER, 1878.

4. Nothing but the strongest reasons could justify me in interfering with a dietary scale framed by gentlemen of so much local knowledge as the Commissioners, and adopted as a final settlement by my experienced predecessor. But what I saw in the Gaol when I occasionally paid surprize visits after the prisoners had had their meals, and the accurate information and valuable advice I received from some of the leading Chinese gentlemen in the Colony, as to the average meal of a hard working Chinese coolie outside the prison, induced me to cut down the dietary scale I found in operation.

5. I need hardly say that in the reductions I made, I did not forget the instructions given from time to time by Her Majesty's Government that short sentenced prisoners can be safely subjected to greater reductions of food than long sentenced prisoners.

6. Beginning in August, 1877, and proceeding carefully and with the sanction of Dr. AYRES, the Colonial Surgeon, the enclosed comparative table shows the reductions, I thought it my duty to make in the dietary scale as it existed on my arrival in April, 1877.

7. It will be seen that all the Chinese prisoners that pass through the Hongkong Gaol have been subjected to some reduction in diet, and that this reduction, in the case of the vast majority of the prisoners has not been inconsiderable. In the statistical returns of the Hongkong Prison for 1876 that were laid before Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, and which appear in Blue Book for 1876, page 168, the following table is given:-

Number of Persons committed to Penal Imprisonment in the Hongkong Gaol,

not including Debtors (26) and Security cases (700),

For 5 Years and upwards.

From 1 Year to 5 Years.

From 3 Months For 3 Months

to 12 Months.

or less.

20

117

254

2,968

Entered

Goo

2403

Houghing

15

Paraphrase of Telegram sent to Groenin 28th Jeeb. 79

Hory Rong

I

have received your

Despatch

No.1. and

and request-

that

will

you

not make

reductions in

aszy

The enclosed comparative table shows that, in the case of all Chinese prisoners committed for six months or under, I have reduced the Dietary Scale of the Gaol Commission to the following extent:-

Common Rice, per day, Fresh Fish, 2 days a week..

Salt Fish, 3 days a week.. Vegetables, twice a week,..

Dietary Scale of Gaol Commission.

Existing Dietary Scale.

26 ounces.

16 ounces.

6

4

"

31

3

23

22

2

16

15

Thus of the three thousand four hundred criminals that on average are subjected to the discipline of the Hongkong Gaol every year, over three thousand come under the above reduction of diet.

8. In the case of prisoners on penal diet, I have also made a considerable reduction in the allowance of food recommended by the Gaol Commission.

9. The Colonial Surgeon has carefully watched and continues to watch the effect of these reduc- tions of diet, and I have made no change without his entire concurrence. On the other hand, bearing in mind what Lord CANARVON says in his Despatch No. 45 of 7th May, 1877, in the case of the comparatively small number of prisoners who are undergoing more than three years imprisonment, I have allowed the Colonial Surgeon to restore the weekly ration of pork that had always been given to them until March, 1877, and which was stopped for a few months in opposition to his professional opinion,

10. Another point on which, as it appeared to me, the discipline of the Hongkong Gaol was not sufficiently deterrent is that of real hard labour. On the last occasion that I brought this question of Gaol labour and prison discipline to the notice of the Legislative Council, (29th of April, 1878) the Senior un-official member, Mr. RYRIE, to whose sound judgment and knowledge I attach great weight, expressed the opinion that the present system was less deterrent than one under which the prisoners would be compelled to do some remunerative hard work. On this subject I shall have the honour of addressing you in a separate despatch.

Jaxation

until I have received

And considered

the Estionater and

issued further Instructions

I have, &c.,

J. POPE HENNESSY, Governor.

The Right Honourable

SIR MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH, Bart., M. P.,

Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,

$c.,

&c.,

fe.