EDUCATION SYSTEM.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 904, 25 August 1910, Page 5

EDUCATION SYSTEM.

■;:■ .CONTINUATION CLASSES. MR. SIDEY'S BILL CONSIDERED. PRISON REFORM DISCUSSED; ■■:■■ .;■;:;;•■"': 'IN COUNCIL.:' V :■ ■ ' ;.",;The sitting of .the Legislative Coun- :■"'"' cil. yesterday' afternoon was taken' up, .'•-.;■-witlv,further discussion on the prison .Vieform proposals. In the House a dis- '■■;'"■■■ cus'sion on-.'forest .conservation mono- ! ;.:"polised the whole ~of the • afternoon. '':• .Two, important' Bills, the Public : Rev- ;. " :'enues/ Bill, which provides' for. the h> , ..";.;.''troduction of the post-audit, system, and the Legislature Amendment Bill, y. ; ■ which deals-..'.with. various •, machinery matters, were brought." down. Tlie .; evening was taken'.uj>.'\vith a "debate on ;•• the isecond reading .of Mr. .Sidey.'s v' :■ Education ■ Amendment;' ' Bill, which ;■ iseeks' to.secure.;the establishment- of ■ : - continuation classes. ,;■ '<:■'■'■'■ . ' ■ i : --:'^>THE:';cpi^9JiQi;-: : ' : '{ ; v V ■ CRIMES AMENDMENT BILL. ' . :\Wheh.-the Legislative Council met at '■ '• 2.30 p:m. yesterday, '.the, adjourned•.do-.-.'/'bate. on. the■second reading- of \'-tlie . Crimes Amendment.'Bill'was 'resumed ■■.■■■■..■Hγ;-:;.- ..->:c : ; ■).',-■,:,: ..'-.••; ■..-'"■-■. ' ■; 'The Hon. W;,W.. M^OARDLE(Auck-; :.': land) who supported 'thej -8i11.■...Hβ ■ '.'.thought /the- prison '.labour'could- be ; very;-profitably omplojKd'. in the pro- .' / ductibn'of vegetables Jμ opposition to : . ■'.''■ -the Chinese ivJio ' at present had prac- :~ ' ticallyja . monopoly of this particular -.:■■". occupation. ' Prisoners . might'. also be ■-.'■ employed in reclaiming the sand drift •■■.- . and .swamp -lauds which ■', were.' at "pre-: ■■ •■"■■ sent .useless; When ;the- prisoners had ;.: advanced far enough they, might, bo given' sufficient. land;, to support theih- ' selves on. "One of tho principal' causes : : of, crime, in Mr. M/Cardlc's opinion, '■■' : :was:,.the,,unlimited' .liberty' given . to : . young ..peoplo . who were.:;;allowed to ' ;roam aSput the streets', at night- and ■'■■•; gradually, drifted snto bad company, the hote'ls and gambling saloons. >-Per- - -Bonally. he; would very much;;hko to !'- : know whether.or. not proKibition had lessened crime in any district. Re- : . fcrring'to the proposed-Prison-Board : ' Mr.. M'Cardle; said there 'was a -.good deal of comment outside about appoint-. ing highly-paid civil: servants: to.;tue ' boardj. and; he : ' proceeded .-to;., pay a '•■' tribute'to the aid given to, prisoners .\-'by. :Mr.t;E.-Arnold,:- of; Wellington. ■; -Light'trades'should be taught so,that ■■""■.tlie ! .men;.would -'be.' ablelto • niaintarn. : ; themselves 'when they left -the.'gaol. . :-.■ .The Hon'.i J. ;B..CALLAN. (Otago) re■v ferred'to ' the --success which ' had at- ' v : ,tended:the'..working of the ,-Klmira,. sys-. ' ' tern, in-,' America and he : -thought, ..the . '.'..• resuits were:'siich as to justify fhtf ino.'.'troduction ;of-'that. here.. He ; ..' thought we ..should; welcome: the .Bill al- ' : though there were one. or two/items ho ■■.-• ■■'did':- not /believe in'.; ;He: thought the .' Prison "■ Board- was {a mistake.. It '■■ was -necessary that: members ;,_ of I : .the board should inspect and .interview . ~ and ; talk', to :.tho . prisoners in all the ! ; -£aolsr'farms, and tree-planting camps "'all over'the Dominion. Men who had'| ;->;to discharge;: other State; duties-, daily ;,;■ could' hot' do the work, and' the board ■?:. could not'.depend .on the reports "of '!; warders'.or' gaolers. ' ■Hβ.'thought .one or,"two'men. should-.be appoint-ed to do :•■. tiis-'. work, ;: arid, this -. work '■ alone. , Tlie : ; .men J should:be gbbd:-judges .of character, '.'"and led or bamboozled.- As ■.''.;; ; r to ..teaching ."the. prisoners trades,, he :,; ■ thought-there'-.was one trade-they couW ■-'-"; be .taught to -which ■no oiie 'could object : ;:.:—that;was-the rough trade.of war. He .;',: hopod.;that .the prisoners'■ would be in-. ':'{.■ etructed : , in..military;-.duties.'; .;;

>'\r Mr. Luke's ..Views/ ■' •.;■.'/•' : . ; ■ '■'■;'.'. V/") M. LUKE .(Wellington), :.; i'said he was; pleased to :see that there "'•'■;■.■ was" a; desire; to appeal .to/the nia-nhood ;■.-" left-in'•the'prisoner, and set ;him. on /, ; ': the : royal.road,.to manhood again. There :'■/ was•β-chord: of, good'. in every. one,, no '.'■ V-Blatter; how /low; -they . had faHen, and : ' - ; -. an .'effort-should be made, to strike that ./: ; chord; : and revive. : the slumbering spark -: ~.;of 'self-respect/ ■ "With ■ sympathetic; and ■■■:,'■ hearty'co-operation;of . the officials • en- : •■ ..trusted with '.the- work of '■;the system . : ; iriuch of ;a; reformative character could .' .'.bo'attained.;.. Except in, ! the case of r. minor offences, he thought the/indeterv>. miiiate! sentence .-> should apply. in all cases/ 'He. was .not .opposed, to the V. teaching of trades to young persons who 1 entered the gaols. As .to.'the employ- ■., ■ of tho prisoners/he- thought the /work should, in the dj- .'-■ -lection of agriculture.; ' Much could be '■.■■ ..done in. the .improvement 'of ivaste .. lands,.which might be made productive. If a.'prisoner.had -served a. portion of ... his apprenticeship beforii.ihe,was placed ~in gaol,- Mr. Luke/thought he should '■■:, be allowed-to" continue..bis':trade so,as •; to.ber.able to'-go. to. it when he left the '■':;,' 'gaol.i.ln.addition .to this.;instruction, v": there .be such : work ".as making '/■' clothes,.' boots,* etc"., , : for V .employees who had to be supplied with . : ■ ~these';' items. . ..He.: w.ould .'like te see ~; .these institutions far removed from "the towns, i Nothing', to: his mind, w,asmore '.humiliating/ than to see 50 or 60 prison- .- ;ers walking .from'the Wellington Ter- •■; :race. Gaol te:the scene of their, day's •. work.' -.The-.system, of \ rewards for :.. ■■ \ prisoners', particularly; married- r men, who : conducted themselves well should .....be provided. .. Ho-had-been sorry .to . learn ,fro'm tho. figures, quoted 'by Dr. : i Findlay the; great number, of native- :. born who.were.sent to the gaols. An ;. effort should bo: r made-to at-the ~ • • cause. ; Drunkenness, •:' gambling, : and idleness, .were the chief causes, but ..:. drink was, he believed-, the great cause. ■;'■ He.agreed.with a previous l speaker that the results.of theworking of No-License :. should be/carefully: scrutinised. Ho . could not agree/that the education sys- ■-.: tern was responsible for. the production of crime inthe.yonng. Administration. / ■: ;'.•; The Hon.. J. jis*STEY (Canterbury) ■:■-,: expressed his. hearty approval of the -, measure, which he considered would ... reflect great'credit .on tho persons rcBpdnsible for' introduciug it. It. might ■■.-■. not accomplish all it. set out to do, but ■:.: 'it -.would/do. an immenso ■ amount' of good. /The, Bill depended almost •entirely., on. sympathetic . administration. He could-conceive that'-mitny of its , provisions. could be made engines of .;..:' oppression, if not properly administered. J he-Minister must be supported by, a body or board.' Ho could not do ■ the work himself. At the samo time he did not approve of the board proposed as it stood. Capable men outside of the Uvil.Service would, he. thought bo an .improvement, and thero were can■r able : men to lie found outside He was m favour of trades being taught io the prisoners, and ho did not think the.trades unions would stand in the way from'any fear of the competition that would result. The work that should be encouraged was such as that at Invercargill, .which competed with no one, and would make a valuable property. Tree-planting should bo carried on as far as possible.

, The Council adjourned at 4.10 p.m., on tho.'motion of the Hon. G. Jones.