The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-04-07
SHERIFF PUA
CAUST|C IN
REPLY

cause They Had Broken Law
Which Requires Them to Visit
Prisons. rs-itsid
(Mail Special TO Tho Adyertiser,)
HlIyO, April 3.--Wbile the West Ha-
waii Prison Commission had it's innings
last week, when it handed Sheriff Pua
stingIng jolt TO the effect that he had
been actuated by personal feelings OF
craftsmanship in his Volcano road Jail
investigation, the sheriff has handed
back a retort In the same style when
he asked the supervisors whether II
was not possible that the commission.
ers declined 70 admit the existence of
defects in the Jail management because
such might be ascribcd TO the commits
sion 3 own negligence in that IL had
failed for years to visit the Jail in
question, whereas under the law they
should have visited il every three
months. The sheriff s letter reads as
follows:
Claims whitewash Throughout.
81 note that you have referred the
reports of the West Hawaii Prison Com.
mission and Of myself re the Volcano
road Jail charges, to one Of your com
mittecs. -
"Ordinarily, / would consider. this
matter closed, as far as 10 concerned
me, with the submission of my report,
as | have, Of course, no interest there
In, except as n public officer, and as i
undertook this investigation only upon
the direction Of your honorable board.
That the report of the commission. was
a whitewash throughout hardly inter
ests me, as II was quite evident that
il was the intention Of the board from
the start to provide such. This was
shown plainly by remark made by
one of the commissioners to Oliver
Akau in the presence of my clerk, stat
ing that there was nothing to the
whole matter, even though at the time
this statement was made only one wit
ness for the defense had been heard.
As / have stated, the nature of
the report on the matter in chief hard
~ interests me, and does certainly not
surprise me, and have no comment
to make thereon. MS. j.
Gives Reasons for Writing. !.
tsMy reason for writing you lies in
the fact that the commission in its re.
port has taken up in a very conspieu-
oils manner some matters not pertinent
10 the issue ON hand, while they have
left untouched, also in a very eonspieu-
BUS manuer, some points which seemed
.qnite pertinent. That the former were
points 1avoring the Jail management
and the latter TO its discredit goes
without saying.
Declares Attack Misplaced.
'tEven then, in view Of the fact
that such amateur investigating boards
often do conduct one.sided, futile and
ludicrons mock courts, when they go
into action, would have taken no
notice of their report, considering the
source thereof, had it not been for the
fact that in their report the commits
sioners have undertaken 10 level an at
tack, which seems very much misplaced,
at me. l. am not aware of the fact
that |, or my official conduct, was under
investigation, and ! think that, consid-
ering the fact that j conducted my
Investigation at the direction of the
board Of supervisors! my motive should
be beyond the question Of even the
most bucolie aggregation of investiga-
tors, even though their enthusiasm may
have furnished exeuse, to some extent,
for their misguidanee.
Pail TO Mention Facts.
al have mentioned the fact that the
report of the commission failed to men,
ton some very material charges relat'
ing to tho management Of the jail,
which the Investigation brought out. IL
also failed to mention the fact that
the commission, when it visited the Vol
cano road Jail last month, inspected
that Jail for the first time, although
At least some of the commissioners have
held their commissions for years ante
datinp tho ono-ing of the jail
MAY not the fact that whatever
faults might be found with the jan
management could be blamed directly
on the neglett. in plain yiolstion OF tae
law, on the part Of the board OF pr son
inspectors to inspect the Jail explain
in a very great measure the eagerness
of the INSPECTORS to assure the, board OF
supervisors and the community at large
that everything was in finest shape at
the Volcano road jailf III fsa
EXPLAINS Duties OF Commission
The duties of the commission are
very plainly described In the following
statutes: 49,.
4. Section 3. II shall be the duty Of
each board and OF its members TO ynl
all prisons and jails within the jrd 9 a.
circuit for when they are appfiuted al
least once in every three months, q
inquire into the management and con
duct Of the same, the care and mainte
nance Of prisoners, the records Of Dris
oners, the manner in which the officer
connected with such prisons and jail
perform their official duties, and thu
sanitary condition Of such prisons an,
jails.
:. Section 4. Each board shall hav'
power TO supervise the discipline ant
government OF all prisons and Jail
within the juridieal circuits for whicl
such board is appointed; TO provide
such rules and regulations, not contra.
to law, ss in the opinion Of majority
of such board are advisable for the i'm
provemeut o. the discipline and goyern
ment Of such prisohN and jailsi 60 pre-
scribe. on consultAtion with the wardel