The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-24 00:00:00

Industrial Piison Labour.

Last evening a meeting was held at the Lambeth Baths
to promote an extension of remunerative prison labour in
lieu of the present non-productive system. There was a
numerous attendance notwithstanding the inclemency of
the weather. On the platform were several gentlemen
officially connected with the management of criminals,
amongst whom were Mr. Young, Superintendent of Con-
victs for the Perth District of Western Australia, and Mr.
Chas. Measor, late Deputy-Governor of Chatham Convict
Prison.

Mr. MURPHY proposed the following resolution, which
was carried unanimously:—" That it is highly important
to render our prisons more definitely reformatory and per-
manently corrective than they are at present, and that this
is mainly to be effected by encouraging habits of useful in-
dustry, calculated to be practically available by the inmates
after their discharge." Mr. Murphy gave some interesting
particulars to show that most criminals are rendered
such by their gross ignorance, their neglected training,
and severe temptations. Less than 5 per cent. of them are
able to read and write well; and it is found that the great
bulk of our prisoners are from the labouring classes,
• domestic servants, the destitute, paupers, and vagrants. It
is not enough that we shut up criminals safely when they
commit offences, but we should take into special account.
what willa
soonerb o
likelyr
later, t o
they
happen whenust theyb e.F
areo setth ats
libertylberty
again,
they must be bettor qualified than heretofore. Let
them
be taught some useful trade, some practical occupation by
Whatwhic h useth i se y can
reallyoakum-picking earn
or honest
"grinding lvteihrnegwnweai ithfnht deermlwaapbatlorotudyl isro;
employ-
ment wtehnedsel
t 0
00
disgust he
men at his
more discharge?than e
v Such
and should, therefore, be abandoned, and some really
useful occupation substituted.
Mr. W. TALLACK, secretary to the Howard Asso-
ciation, 5, Bishopsgate-street-witkout, described the suc-
cessful operation of tho industrial treatment of prisoners
in Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Prance, and America,
whore, in general, they were given " task-work" or
"piece-work," and allowed to have from one-tenth to one-
sixth part of their earnings for their support at discharge,
or for their families. It was found that each training
greatly lessened expenses, and also the number of re-com-
mittals, by the removal of temptations to relapse into crime.
Mr. Tallack spoke highly of the humanity and assiduity of
many of the prison grovernors and visiting magistrates of
this country ; but he considered that there must neverthe-
less be a radical error in our criminal treatment when it
resulted, as it does at present, in so little real reformation,
whilst costing the nation enormous sums of money. As
for garroters, wife-beaters, and such ruffians they deserve
deterrent treatment. Bat the great majority of criminals
need rather to be trained to industry, which will servo
them in good stead after their discharge.
Mr. CHARLES P. MEASOR next addressed the meeting.
Several other addresses followed, and the meeting ended
with the usual vote of thanks.

DESTRUCTION OF AN OBSERVATORY.—On Sunday
last the observatory connected with St. Gregory's College,
Downside, near Bath, was totally destroyed by fire. It
originated apparently in the heating apparatus, which
kindled the joists of the ground floor; the flames, which
caught some stuffed birds and other natural history speci-
mens in the museum kept in the lower room, were rapidly
communicated to tho equatorial room above, in which was
a magnificent, refracting telescope of 15 inches diameter
and 20 feet focal length. The observing stages formed
capital fuel for the fire, and in less than an hour the whole
was one mass of flame, leaving no possibility of rescuing
anything. The loss of the glass and astronomical plant
attached to the telescope is the more unfortunate as the
observatory had only just been placed in full working or-
der. The loss to the college of the antiquities, curiosities,
and natural history collections in the museum cannot be
seis)teicmi
lanteends,, f oarn tdhlevye
rceo
thent a i
rneesdu
lmt aouf y 5
o uniqueyears aanc d invaluable
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