§ DR. CLARK (Caithness)I beg to ask the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that Sergeant Mackenzie, the Keeper of the Wigtown Gaol, refused to permit a visiting member of the County Council to inspect the prison, and that when the County Councillor received an order and was admitted, he found some unconvicted prisoners picking oakum; whether picking oakum is one of the works done by the hard labour prisoners; and whether the prison officials can compel unconvicted prisoners to pick oakum?
§ * THE LORD ADVOCATE (Sir C. J. PEARSON,) Edinburgh and St. Andrews UniversitiesI am informed that the police-sergeant in charge of the cells at Wigtown, used as a fourteen days' prison, did refuse at first to admit a member of the Visiting Committee of the County Council, but that the Councillor was afterwards admitted and found one unconvicted prisoner picking oakum. Oakum-picking is one of the kinds of work done by hard labour prisoners, and also by ordinary prisoners, the difference being in the task required. No prison official can com- 1558 pel an untried prisoner to work; but such prisoners are allowed to work if they choose. The prisoner in question had been told that he was not bound to work; but that if he chose to tear a little oakum in order to pass the time he would be supplied with it, and he accepted the offer.