THE PREMIER IN THE SOUTH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 165, 6 April 1908, Page 7

THE PREMIER IN THE SOUTH.

DUNEDIN DEPUTATIONS. RAILWAYV EXPENDITURE. PROPOSED LEGISLATION FOR NEXT . , ! SESSION. . (BT TELEOEAm.—riIESS ASSOCIATIONS - . ' ■ v Dunedin, April 4: The Primo Minister was kept busy this morning with deputations, no fewer than six waiting on him in tho course of about two hours. OTACO CENTRAL RAILWAY. A deputation.from tho Otago Central Railway League urgeel the continuation of the Otago Central Railway. Mr. Burnett/(Chairman- of the League) said if 'the railway were carried on- it would opon up 50,000 acres of Crown, lands, which, the Government would not have to buy. They could put a thousand farmers there, and they would easily stand tho rental they would-havo to pay if bad times were ,to come. •: ■ ; • . - - Mr. W.' Gow (Chairman of tho Chamber of Commerce); said ~that they, did not look to Yv'anaka as the end of the line. They wore curious to know whether the Government had made any inspection or inquiry as to tho "kind,.of'country to 1 he .met' with when' over Haast Pass. They looked to the time when tho line would ibe: tlib' main thoroughfaro of. the South Islanid by way ofthe West Coast.'.--.'Tho country' was very much ■ better than was generally considered, and the prospcctls of 'settlement were very ;, much . better, than-afiyone-could-conceive. \The whole of, the land along the West Coast was Crown laiidi 'available for settlement without', purchase. - -■

I .Other, speakors pointed out : that • with irrigation and the railway, Otago Central would : advance 'coiisiderably/ in' the near future. The Prime Minister,'in' reply, said lie ; could; not .tell; 'tliem .what; tho Government would do-with regard to any extensions of railways when next - year's estimates were submitted; 'j,;.They.;, had,','a difficult problem, 1 and the -country would have,, to. realise 4 , thenecessity of-;being- reasonable.iri'its demands.; Regarding tho Otago Central line, sinco ho had been in parliament twenty-one years ho found,; that ■ there - lihd ;been, .on;-, an - average,, over- £60,000 ai 3'ear spent ; on : that line, bringing the total to'date to £1,270,918, and there . .was a'- small" aniounir'put or. ' the estibst, year. The .'Government had to consider ,'next whether: they were, to' go • beyond, th,o : amount; they - liad; : . set .'aside for' railways—£l,l4o,ooo. . Three 'hundred and thirty thousand pounds "was on ' tho estimates North .Island..'Main ' Trunk, this '•, year,'- and - it . would probably. require £170,000. !; t-o:. : finislr : it-,': leaving- £130,000. ,':Ho: was goili'g; through Otago Central with res-ponsible["engineers,-,chiefly; with the object of benefiting by their;-advice on' the matter .of. irrigation, and also with the view of having a further;lookiint-o the general surroundings'.of the'.coiiiitrty.' :When;. they dealt with general allocations for railways .'.the: point as! to,,how. much , they could 'fairly; allocate .for railways in Otago would lcccive every con--sideration. • .: ; - v'-\ O.v-- > ■... >. ! :' - -. -MALFORMED HEADS. rA ;deputation.',;froin : the,. .Acclimatisation Societyvasked 'for Government assistance in an ondoavour to shoot off -malformed i heads of- deer. '-It' y.'as explained that; the Society, had. spent, about;£loo in' shooting off.malforms, and was prepared to;spend a further reasonable "sum,'. but; itasked" for' ment subsidy to some extent. ■ • . '• Sir , Joseph Ward |Said he would inquire with the view of ; seeing -how far they could go in the direction of maintaining the 'standard. It was very important to the' country : as', a .whole; that .sport/' of.' this., kind should be kept up to .its-level. 1 PROTECTION OF WOMEN AMD • CHILDREN. A deputation from the Society for the Pro-cect-ion of, Women and Children,, supported, by tiej," Society" for)- tho VPromotion of - the Health of Women and Children, also-waited on tho Prime Minister. Tho Rev. W. Curzon-Siggers explained thilt the object of; tho' : deputation was to get- tho Industrial Schools Act, 1882, amended in tho following directions(l) That societies such as thoso rcproBented"; should;"bo ' permitted, through ; . their, president and secretary, to lay a complaint under; Section '10, dealing with -. children; livingVin undesirable (surroundings, etc, this'power at present'resting with;.the. police.. . : ' (2). That'a Magistrate'may 'commit' achild when lie -is satisfied that'.the' moral ■ ' or physical surroundings'pf tho- child's : lite are -such as to;militate against its . "'healthy and; moral development: • (3) That on" the plan of the children's - < courts'in'England rind Amcfica 1 a stipen- ' .diary' Magistrate bo 'empowered to deal with cases- of children 'brought: before thorn under tho Industrial-'School Act ; -by-holding ■, inquiry- with':,the freedom as • to ;ovidon'ce of a coroner's court rather ' ' than ;the 'formal and' legal methods of tho ' police court. iThey- also 'sought; an .'amendment of. tho Destitute;' Persons Act to provide ■ (1) That a ;wifo, oij:tho society acting ■foi a-info or,child, may-apply-to have a '-■ .-wage-earner's wages'; attached: for tho ' support of a destine wife.or child. At.present only a minister,or local authority or trustees can .apply, and ■ this moots " practically no. cases of distress till too late. ' (2) To insert -"an additional definition to make, it clear that a wage-earner (that is; a person liable to support a wife or child) shall bo. deemed'to have deserted ono or other if he is proved to tho satisfaction of tlvo Magistrate to waste his money by ..drinking or gambling to the detriment of-' those, dependent' on : him.: Sjr Josoplr r Ward promised the fullest' consideration ofVthese, requests by the 'Govern- i melit. I-Ie was at ono with those who. urged that all protection should be given- to women and - children consistent with what was due to the rights of individuals. The Government would be only too glad to try and improve things. The aims of tho Society,- as est-forth;'by Mr. Siggcrs, formed tho 'basis of-'legislation which would be brought down next session, and of which ho personally approved; Very valuable, reform could bo effected whereby proceedings could be taken on behalf of women (who wore, under existing conditions, afraid to proceed on their own behalf for fear of after consequences) for . attachment of wagos. - Ho agrcod that' tho definition of ,a wage-earner in tho Act should .bo widened. The Government" would have to go carefully into-these matters, for. interference sometimes made matters worse The Government wore, very anxious t-o assist i in the preservation of infant life, and to help women who, unfortunately, too often required outside assistance.