BARREN DAY IN HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 905, 26 August 1910, Page 6

BARREN DAY IN HOUSE

I .DWELLINGS OF THE PEOPLE. SIDEY'S BILLy V REFORM OF. ;THE. " LORDS." : In: the vLegislative Council '.:. yesterday, 'tho Law Practitioners -Amendment Bill ...'/was read a first time, and : leave was given. to the Hon. J. to in'trodue'e the Hawke's Bay Elvers Bill. Tho debate on'the second reading of the Amendment Bill' was ..continued. i'-. The Hori. Dr. Findlay will reply this ' . :afternooh'.-'.to the various'" points. raised - v during the debate. ~ -In .'the' House; most-of the afternoon ■'[- was .taken'up in discussing Committee .. ■.' reports; - : - on ,;' petitions. Subsequently .several Local /Bills were advanced a ', further stage, in the ovening Mr. Sidey's ■Public; Health'-Bill was dealt with in .' .Committee. /Practically no progress was, "• however,: made in ; regard to it.

I THE COUNCIL. "■■■ \ law practitioners' amend-■-■;•;./'■■'v;;':.:.,''':/ment.: ..:.-• "■ '•': .When the Legislative Council mot at •2.30-.yesterday afternoon the Hon. Dr. ' ■■ \Findlay introduced the Law Practitioners ';. Amendment. Act which was read a. first ' ; time.,; The.second dreading, was .set down .';.>' .for Tuesday, next. .■. "■■ . ,'. BAY. RIVERS ACT. ' •_.: In moving that Standing Orders be ■ I suspended' so; far as to. allow of leave ;.'' being given •to bring in the; Hawke's ■'.'■ Bay., Rivers -Bill'■:• -. ■ •-• -.''•' •■ , The Hon. J. Di said that ■'it was. of great foment that the- Bill .'. should,be introduced and passed in order ;...; ;' to. give the .'Hawke's .Bay people power ': ,to m'eet:the dangers of flooding to. which ■;' ,they'were, exposed. '. Behind; Napier, was -V fa plain, with three rivers flowing through . v jit, and .'recent Hoods had shown 'the nejcessitylfor the "passage of legislation to ■ '■"'. 'enable... preventive .measures, to be -.Vt'aken. -'■ .'■ '.'■•■•.-.--'. . '.■■•■ ..'■; - "The, Hon. Dr. FINDLA'Y said, it was •.;'■• (the- 'duty'.'..of the, Council to ansist upon /its.Standing Orders being complied with ....''■as fully as possible, and 1 no exception ' j'should' be'made, lightly or without satis- ■,-. '..!factory. reason jbeing snown. AVhcre. dan.'//ger to/human, life was,involved, ,as. in , . jthis case, there' was good reason for. re- : , jlaxat'ion., 'The Council '"'■ would, he ■■.'■ f thought, perhaps' feel sorry' afterwards ... \ if it delayed the Bill. -..- ■' ;.,'■••.'-' ■ ■.';: The Hon. J; E. JENKINSON- thought' , j the 'matter, was ■'. a- Government matter ,;' , 'which-should be'taken-up-by, them."-.- •'■ .. .After -several'■'•'other .speakers had ei- •'■.■'. .'iPfeSsedi their views, '•'•..''; ■■••''■.' • V. The,',-Hon. J. D. :ORMOND■'. :ie- : .-:..plied.'-■.;■.stating that all ';'he. '-.wanted ,;!was..th'e opportunity to bring in the Bill -. Lv lahd-iput his .evidence before the-Council. ;/ 'It. 'was an-/urgent matter • and .an abso- '■■',. lute•""iiecessity and. should ..warrant the './.Council-'in .-going -out-of .its; way.to^.sus- , ;pehd'the!Standing Orders;. /' '" ''. "-'. /AF length the' motion was modified: by the-delefion,of one: of-the Standing Qr- /■' ders:/. mentioned, * and the/ motion' was 'then carried -by :22--.to 4.':> ■'"■' '■-.''

" '.CRIMES: AMENDMENT BILL. : .'The .adjourned the second, ■ reading of,.the,Crimes Amendment Bill .was resumed.;": : ' ■ •-. ■ .'• The Hon; ,G. JONES (Otago) said the Bill as, nearly ..Christian,';as any. human. Imeas'ure ctml&'m, land'.it ''would staifciial \fi. monument to'.the . Attorney-General .•'.whatever its fate might be; 'Mr. Jones iquoted figures to bear out the theory, jthat drmkj; directly! and indirectly,- was [(the principal cause' of'criine: 7 :it had p>een said 'that' 'drinking .'was becoming . aess and the world was\ growling wiser."' Statistics, however, proved •'i'Vtnat .this was hot-so, except in countries "iwhere ..there ■ was Vtotal .abolition. • The

' time 'had ."passed when We should touch ;ithis drink -question , with a trembling , thand. We should trifle 'no : longer with [the '' In .Wellington, said Mr. ■ Jones,' the place- was honey-combed, with [illicit drinking'.'. There'was. no 'doubt 'Vabqut.'this.'-.■!!■,'.'>'.• '•: ••• ; ..- '

(v.; :■■ Dr. Findlay: I. would like to;get; some . ...[information, as;,to how you say that. It . fifi very easy, to say, but difficult to prove. ;;; The Hon;' G. Jones admitted this difS■;'i'- culty. .- He said, that- Qamaru was all V .light, with, trie-exception of one or. two jisly-grog shops, v which were giving diffi-,-.;'.culty..;.Thcre was too much levity, on the - ; . fpar't of some, people, and especially on 'the part of the. press, in dealing with the Igreat crime of drunkenness. If the.press. L (-only, applied; the /wisdom- on "this <jues-. '-■i-' 1,-tion vthat: it did on. other/matters we' .-:-.' J.would soon have a better state of things. .'■ v .; ; The Hon.H.;F. WIGRAM (Canterbury) .'. .fekid '• there -were..other causes of crime .'■:. r,than drunkenness.; The proposed classiv;; location of criminals would, lie thought, ";' -be : an '■■ enormous- stride, forward. He ;'' heartily ' 'approved''of \the humanitarian ■:■':.(proposals, in .connection with the prison' Y-. '/farm and tree-planting' camps, and he iwas glad, to see .that some of tho old :;.gaols were", to-be closed.- vSoine-of the .iciauses of the'Bill were of a very drastic •:. [nature,. particularly those giving power '/.►to judges and. magistrates to impose fur- ...'. Ither terms of reformative treatment over. '.' 'and. abqve. the penaltyprescribed by law. ,He questioned whether it was right to ,put a man's liberty so completely in the lihands of gaolers and warders as would be •'tdone, as .the, proposed board would prac- ;/ i-tically; have. to depend.on" their 'reports. \ (Generally speaking, the Bill was drastic,' ■-. f -and it .would' be wiser, he thought, to i-start by adopting the Elmira system. ..General progress could' be made after-

.';■'jwards. He did hot like giving inordinate ; -powers to .judges and magistrates, neither, .' idid; he like the idea.of taking' a .'judge - jfrbm the Supremo Court bench and maK- ■' 'ing'him chairman of the Prisons Beard. • tt Tho Hon. A.< BALDEY (Otago)consider- . . ed -that the Bill would bring about ,a ...great.reform. . A, greater than drink was the want •ot proper parental disi -, cipline in,bringing up children.. .It was ''■ .a .good thing. to give the prisoners the opportunity of learning a trade and agri"cultural •pursuits,' and he did.not, think . .there was .ally need to fear the- competi- . ytion : which. would., result.' : The; Council at 4.55 p.m., on '■the .motion of the Hon. 'Dr. Findlay.