THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 888, 6 August 1910, Page 3

THE COUNCIL.

OATHS BILL. In moving the second reading of the Oaths Bill in the Council yesterday, The Hon. Dr. FINDLAY dwelt on the iusanittfry aspect of "kissing the Book," especially in 'the busy city police courts. He did not suppose that there would be any opposition to the Bill. TII6 practice of "kissing tho Book" was. of recent origin, and had been discarded, in England. The Hon. AY. C. F. CARNCIIOSS (Taranaki), in seconding th'o motion, expressed. the opinion that the present method of administering tho oath was not very ' impressive—far loss so than tho Scottish method. s

The Hon. J. 12. JENIvINSON (Wellington) asked if there was any authority for the administration of tho oath in minor Departmental inquiries. Ho had. heard of ono caso in which this was done, and 'afterwards .the officer who administered the oath said in a joking .manner to the. witness, "Now, what was the truth about that Such cases could only bring the oath into disrespect. Tho Hons. W. Beehari 1 J. Anstey (Canterbury), and A. Baldey (Otago) supported the Bill: Mr. Baldey .objected to the proposed usu of tho words "Almighty God" in tho oath, v The Hon. .0., SAMUEL (Taranaki) suggested, that separate;forms of oath should be provided for written affidavits or declarations and other special occasions. Ho thought ;, that , such phrases as "So help nic God!" ; should bo avoided..

Tho Hon. J. M'GOWAN(Auckland) suggested that, fault might ho found witli the 1 words, "The truth, the wliolo trutlj, and lint tho truth," on the ground that an accused person' might bo advised by his . solicitor not to tell the whole truth, as' by so doing ho would imperil his case.

! Dr, FINDLAY, in'replying; said'time under the Bill witnesses would still be allowed to take the oath by kissing the Book if they preferred, lie thought it was very, doubtful whether the oath could properly be administered at a Departmental inquiry. If it was a judicial inquiry within tho meaning of tho law, such procedure would bo proper,. but-ho thought that tho-oath should not bo administered 6x ; cept when there was a clear right on the part of tho presiding officer to administer it. , The second reading was agreed to, and the Bill was referred to tho Statutes llovision Committee.

DESTITUTE PERSONS. The Eon.' Dr. FINDLAY, in moving the, second reading of the Destitute l'ersons Bill, said it might fitly bo called a Bill to relievo tlio necessities and suffering of women and children, for whose protection largely it had been framed. Tlie , present . latf affecting destitute persons was a patchwork of many years' legislation, -'containing many weaknesses and defects. The Bill had . been submitted to the senior magistrates since last session, and had been greatly modified as a result of ilieir advice. There wore 2380 children in industrial schools, of whom probably 50 per cent, had been deserted by one parent or other, but chiefly by the father. Of those children a considerable number were on probation in occupations, others had been allowed to go to friends under supervision, and tho actual number maintained by the State was 1566. Of these the CJiaritablo Aid Boards paid for 728, their payments last year totalling about £10,C0p. Of tiliu'total number of 1566 maintained by the State, contributions towards their maintenance was made by parents or uLhers in only 870 cases, 'leaving 696 for which ho payment whatever was made. Tho amount contributed was in many cases almost, nothing—it might bo !s. a week, paid intermittently. To show in another v:ay the cost which child-desertion threw upon the State, the industrial schools cost, last year £•14,457, including contributions from .Charitable Aid Boards, of which only £5798 was contributed by parents and i others. It might be thought that oflij ciala wero tu blainu for .nut collecting more, but they did their best under the present law.- The law, however, was'so inefficient that a parent might desert his children and escapo to Australia, but, though he was well able to maintain his ohihlrni, it cost lesa for the State to support tliein in iiirluswiai schools than to pursue the parent and make him discharge his responsibilities. The proportion of maintenance contributions collected in Neiv Zealand 'was greater than in Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. In sonio cases discretionary power should be given; to magistrates, to onforco maintenance upon a rich tuicie nr other relative not at present liable. Dr. Findlay explained the principal provisions of. the Bill (of which a summary was published in- Tire Dominion' yesterday). Jt is provided that no lump sum may be paid in advance lor maintenance without the consent of a magistrate. It is also provided that maintenance money may lie sued for as a- civil debt, and provision is ma'do in regard to the attachment of wages. tnoreass of Desertions. Or. Findlay said that Clause 4M might at first bo thought too rigorous. Tin; clausc reads: "livery person against whom a maintenance order has been made, either before or after the commencement of tliis Act, and. who, while any moneys payable under the order are in arrears and unpaid, tanes, orattempts to leave, New Zealand, shall j>e guilty of 'an indictablc offence, punishable by imprisonment with hard labour, for any term not exceeding two years." Dr. Findlay raid he was told, and he Iwlieved it was true,- that- desertion of wives and children was rapid- j |y_ increasing in New iWluJld, and that I

a large number of the children in industrial schools were the children of men who had deliberately deserted them. Were they to be more indulgent to the man-who deserted -his-wife than to tho man who forged a cheque for 40s. ? Tho man who left his wife and children to starve or become a charge on the community was as big a blackguard and criminal as could. bS found. If the Bill was carried, he would, as far as possible, have all these men who ivenl tu Auetralin brought back at the State's expense, and the Government would do its best to, have this sort ,of rascality suppressed. At the same time, if a man subject to a maiutenanco order wished to go to Australia because ho could got work there, lie would be able to do so after .application to a magistrate. Dr. Findlay also referred to thc_ provisions for giving eifect in New Zealand to affiliation and maintenance orders made in Australia, and said that it was hoped to secure ultimately a complete system of reciprocity with each of the Australian Stater.. In conclusion, he paid .a warm tribute to the humanitarian work of the Rev. Curzon-Siggers, of Dunedin, who, ho said, was untiring in his efforts to help and-protect women and children, ana in getting men in ,his position to devise some means of further protecting them. It was largely owing to the representations of Mr. Curzon-Sig-gers that he had brought forward the Bill. He thought that the community was waking up to the fact that for too long a time women and children had been suffering from the harshness and brutality of a large ■ section of men. He hoped that the Bill, .which was a difficult one, containing many novelties, would receive every assistance from tew Council. The debate was adjourned aL 4.5 p.m., on tho motion of the Hon. 0. Saihuel (Taranaki), and the Council rose.