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Convict Conditions
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as if it were a previous Western Australian conviction. There are altogether four or five other persons who are under the same disability on account of home convictions. 443. TICKET-OF-LEAVE.—The ticket-of-leave system is very harassing to prisoners, especially to those who go out in a state of destitution. Confirms the previous evidence. Nos. 10544 and 10545, examined, 444. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Unnatural offence; ten and seven years respectively. 445. AGES.—Seventeen and nineteen. 446. PERSONAL.—Witness described the evidence given at the trial. Prisoners had been working at a lemonade factory in the same employ as the boy who was the principal witness against them. The boy had been only in the same employ about a week at the time of the alleged crime. Two days elapsed before the boy reported what was alleged to have occurred. He then reported it to police who took him to the hospital. No. 3384, examined, 447. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Illegal possession ; six months. 448. PERSONAL.—I have no evidence to offer respecting the gaol. I only want to point out that the property which I was supposed to have stolen, and in respect of which I was convicted, has since been handed over to me at the gaol. No. 1514, examined. 449. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Habitual drunkenness ; three months. 450. AGE.—53. 451.PERSONAL.—I am an engineering draftsman by profession, and have held good positions here and Eastern Colonies. I have been here on similar charges on previous occasions. Indiscretion in the matter of alcoholic indulgence has been the cause of my troubles. I am very anxious to get another start in life, but I do not know what is to become of me, as I shall leave the gaol destitute of both money and friends. 452. GAOL ARRANGEMENTS.—There are not sufficient shelter sheds in the yard. The old men's labour party shed is atrocious. It is in an exposed condition and the wind blows right through it. 453. SANITARY.—Confirms previous evidence as to defective condition and inadequacy. 454. COOKING UTENSILS.—These are dirty, rusty, and very badly looked after altogether. 455. HOSPITAL.—This requires reconstruction altogether. It is draughty, and altogether unsuited for the purpose for which it is intended. It is badly placed and ill designed. 456. MEDICAL.—The same does of medicine are served out to all patients, irrespective of their physical condition and constitution. It is the general impression that the doctor is entirely dominated in his decisions by the Superintendent. About 3½ years ago, when I was here on a previous occasion, I was very ill, and asked the doctor for some nourishing food. The doctor looked at the Superintendent inquiringly. The latter shook his head, and so my request was declined. 457. SHAVING.—I think with the other prisoners that it is a hardship that the time occupied in shaving should come off the dinner hour. No. 10428, examined. 458. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—FORGERY ; three years. 459. TICKET-OF-LEAVE,—The ticket-of-leave regulations are very hard on the men holding them. The police come and inform the people with whom you are living, so that no respectable person will let you stop in their houses. On one occasion, when I was out on ticket-of-leave, and had obtained the necessary permission to visit some friends at Fremantle, the police visited the house after I had left it, roused my friends up at midnight, and insisted upon searching the place. On another occasion a police officer, of the name of Warnecke , came to my brother's place in Perth, and the same thing occurred at my parents' place in Guildford. I committed forgery in order to try to get the means of leaving the Colony, to prevent being further harassed and worried by the police. I would like to be discharged without a ticket ; in fact I would prefer to remain in goal rather than be released on a ticket. Warder Tracey examined. 460. FIRING AT AN ESCAPEE.—Referring to a statement in the Press respecting a recent attempt at escape, I would like to say that I called upon the man who ran away, to stop, before I fired. I called loud enough for the man to hear me, but, very likely, the other men of the party may not have heard me. As a matter of fact, I fired very wide, just to frighten him, and he then stopped. No. 10458, examined. 461. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Receiving stolen property ; 12 years. 462. AGE.—58. 463. PERSONAL.—I desire to petition. I have no evidence to give. [Commission advised witness to apply to the Sheriff for leave to petition.] No. 3563, examined. 464. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—False pretences ; 10 months. 465. PERSONAL.—I want to petition against my sentence. I made a representation that there were certain goods (poultry, etc) consigned to me by a particular ship. As a fact, the goods came by a later ship. I obtained £2 on the representation I made. I gave a false name at the time I asked for the advance. [Witness advised that regulations permit of his petitioning, as a short sentence man, if I he desires t do so.] ( The Commission adjourned.) MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 1898. [ AT FREMANTLE GAOL.] Present: DR. ADAM JAMESON, Chairman. Mr. H. Stirling, Mr. J. Gallop, Mr. E. W. Mayhew, and the Secratary. No. 3540, examined. 465A. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Cashing valueless cheque ; three months. 466. MEDICAL.—I have no complaints to make or suggestions to offer except that if a prisoner is taken ill at night the arrangements do not seem to be all that they should be. On one occasion I was taken ill with cramps at night time. I knocked at the door, and the officer in charge said he could do nothing as he had no keys. I had to wait till the night watchman came. It was the night watchman in F 5 on the 10th of the month. He brought me a little kerosene and said that was all he could do for me. 467. PERSONAL.—I have not been in trouble before; I shall be out on January 6th. No. 3167, examined. 468. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Unlawfully receiving ; 18 months. 469. REMISSION.—I think the remission is not rightly understood or interpreted by the authorities. [Witness informed that the matter of remissions was now under consideration by the authorities.] 470. LIBRARY.—The library is practically under the control of a prisoner, and there is a good deal of favouritism in the way the books are given out. If you can give the librarian a quid pro quo in the shape of tobacco, etc., you are likely to get the books you want, but not otherwise. I am speaking of the Roman Catholic library. 471. DIET.—I have been in the gaol before. For the last five days previous to my last discharge I got my bread weighed each day, and it was invariably short weight. I got another loaf in exchange. I feel sure that it would be found to be equally short 100 times in nine months; but if a prisoner persisted in disputing the weight like that, he would be run into the cells on some other charge. As a remedy I would suggest that a different prisoner should be told off each day to weigh the bread. 742. SHAVING.—This is a source of skin disease among the prisoners. Clipping the hair would be quiet as effectual and more cleanly. Besides,out of the whole lot of prisoners in the gaol not more than 50 shave on the same day, so that there are always a number having beards of some few days growth. 473. MEDICAL.—I complain that it is only by the most urgent importunity in some cases that prisoners who meet with any injury or disablement are put on to light work by the doctor's orders. 474. COMPLAINT OF A WARDER.—I have known a warder to be drunk in charge of a party of prisoners. On one occasion when I had only just joined a party a few minutes before, this warder came up to me, shook his fist in my face, and said he had already cautioned me six times that day for talking, whereas he had only just seen me for the first time with the party.
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