§ MR. O'REILLYsaid, he rose to call attention to the Papers relative to Tralee Gaol, and to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, What steps have been taken to remedy the abuses that existed in the management of that Prison? According to the Report of Mr. Burke, Tralee Gaol was remarkable for three things — the wretched state of the building, the enormous expenditure, and the small number of prisoners. There were only thirty-six prisoners in the gaol, who cost £80 a year each. The salaries of the officers amounted to £1,267, while the total cost of everything else was £1.193. The local inspector, who was a clergyman, got £180; the governor got £200; and the chaplain of the Established Church, who had not more than two persons on the average to attend to, got £50. The deputy governor, who also acted as schoolmaster, got £100 a year; and £350 a year was given to nine turnkeys to watch the thirty-six prisoners; yet the inspector said the discipline was very lax, and the prisoners were so poorly guarded that it was a wonder they did not walk out. Among the turnkeys there were five tradesmen to teach the prisoners trades, and the highest profit ever made in a year was £30. During the winter, the inspector said, the prisoners were all locked up in their cells from half-past four in the afternoon till seven the next morning, and many of the cells were damp and not properly lighted with gas. He found that, the governor, who had a family of eight, lived in the prison; and the deputy governor, who had a family of four, also resided in the prison. Between the prison wall and the interior boundary wall of the gaol were two acres of land, on 1630 which were kept cows, pigs, and poultry, and another portion of the same ground was used as a kitchen garden. The governor also kept dogs within the gaol. All this was in opposition to the law and regulations under which Irish gaols were managed. The gaol had a local inspector who received £180 a year for visiting the prison twice a week, whilst other local inspectors only had £80 a year. That local inspector, who was obliged by the Act of Parliament to make a report on oath, had certified that no horses, cows, pigs, or cattle of any kind were kept within the precincts of the gaol, and that each prisoner was provided with a separate cell and a separate bed, in the face of the Reports of the Inspector General and the knowledge of others to the contrary. He thought that this was a state of things that required prompt attention, and he hoped that the Chief Secretary for Ireland would give him some assurance that the Government would take the matter into their consideration. He was aware that the powers of the Government in gaols were somewhat limited; but in this case the inspectors of the gaol had called attention to these defects repeatedly, without the slightest effect, and therefore it was necessary that the matter should be brought forward in Parliament.
§ MR. H. A. HERBERTsaid, he was of opinion that the hon. Gentleman who had just sat down was labouring under some misapprehension respecting the details upon which he had drawn. he thought, for instance, the hon. Gentleman was mistaken respecting the alleged keeping of cattle within the precincts of the gaol. On the day the Inspector General visited the gaol some repairs were going on, and things were consequently to some extent in a state of confusion. Every attempt had been made by the Board of Supervision to remedy the evils complained of, and the Inspector General would find a very different state of things at his next visit.
§ MR. CHICHESTER. FORTESCUEsaid, he agreed that there was much which needed remedying in the gaol of Tralee; but this was not the case of a Government gaol, but of a county prison, over which the Government had little or no control. He doubted not that the local authorities would do their utmost to remedy the evils and defects 1631 complained of. He was glad that his ton. Friend (Mr. O'Reilly) had called attention to the subject. The Board of Supervision had not lost sight of the Report of the inspector. A committee had been appointed to remedy the abuses which had been complained of; and it had been actively at work. so that the inspector would find a very different state of things on his next visit. He was thoroughly convinced that legislation was required to put the county gaols in Ireland upon a proper footing in conformity with our improved notions of what the conduct and management of a gaol should be. There were many things in connection with those gaols which could not be dealt with by the local authorities. The question was under the consideration of the Government. He did not know that anything could be done this Session, but it should, undoubtedly, be dealt with at an early period.