THE COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 7

THE COUNCIL

■:''•' ;//://;/•?;/-E|Y:LAWS':BILLi' V : '' ;: ./-'TheLegislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. .;;,wheri:,the..By-laws'Bm was reported by; ;;;;the-Statutes Revision Committee, which 'recommended; that .the -Bill be' allowed ;;-.to;.'proceed.with amendmentScThe'Com-. .'• :',•; ; Ps*?•' of ,the. Bill ,was. set down .tpriWednesday.next.. ;-/'.;./ >: - x/./ './;/ ; /.^C.,////.oaths bill.:;;./-::/ ';/'.// The Bill /was • reported by/the v.. Statutes/Revision Committee, with a recommendation, that tho Bill be ■ alproceed .without aemridment. ;; Th 6; committal of'.the. Bill was set down • for/Wednesday. next.:/;. ;;-; ";'■';/ PERSONS BILL. - / ■: - ; % SOME/ mTERESTING 'STATISTICS: '•' /'^ In,moving'.the.-third'reading of the Destitute Persons,Bill, Z.' 1 - '';-'■:'-. '.... The/aori.Dr.: - Fim)LAy: remarked. on/the care'which; had>been bestowed there/was for ~;/ further,';legislative .provision 'to compel -'.: those ..w,ho." should bear, the .burden .'of . destitute.' persons', to, do/so more fully': ■■> :%ri.Vthey,;, were;-doing at. the /present ■•:.■'•^■.,tlln;c;:.:•:to:■^phasis'ihg:^the' / n^ssity'■'for^ / .tbb';.lugislation, ; ;Dr. Firidlay quoted .a' ':'■ ;Uumher.;:of.Vfigures, specially prepared '■:■■:'Py/the.lnspector of,.lndustrial Schools, •. to.j.'show -the '.viewri; of .the Education'. ; :, Department, which'> was /charged with! -;; the;administration;6f 'the laws relating^ ' ; ,;,toj/t]ie;;.educatibii,. ■. training, :■ and-:.up-; ■ . bririgmg- of --afflicted,: delinquent, ■ neg- ;,;;. Jected,;;nr,vthe/iridigerit.i/For' ■/;■■. .caus'e3;.:'duriri'g.th'e':'past v ten years : 2476 , .children had been .admitted: to aiidus- ; .-thai;, schools, .arid, of these, 1020 were- / : -Few' ,children, ■'-:'■' ; . c 9. m f/to 'industrial. /schools",:.'.through ,/■.; *rieuv fiiisfortuiie.,; Some degradatiori 'pr,:xunfitness, on tho ' part ; of.,ono : : or:both :.;;■• parents[.was generally, .disclosed/the most ;;'/ cdrijmon causes/being ..drink, desertion/ /ur^d;?jyegi^mi«7 ; :U; The,;:lo2u;uridisent /•/ichildremadmitted-"duriiig;tlia past'-tei/ :;, v -years.-would'; cost .'at least : £2Q '"'each, ;^/-^" r t]|o;iWerage;pßriod ; . nf.maintenarico '--.'• ,; c 2". ld -m. safely;fixed: at tfen- years/Thus : ■■■ - / *n?/:taxpay?r ";■ had. to v provide ,£200,000 : .. •': ™,'.nicet,.the,demand, ,or, in other w ; ords, recurring ;expenditUro ; --i "•••'- ?^*20;000''a;;.' ye"ar..-."-'. : ''About'i'9o per cent"! .•.' ; turned I : -h-J o%,;"e?ent .citizens: .Of /the:2476-who/ ■•:• tojv;all-.causos; came.'under/industrial: : /^Bchbol;;control,: ; from:. 1900 onwards. .in< ;.; a; large proportion of the cases !the par-- / i .entß.-.were.'described as either/ desertera' ;.-■■■•.-orriunknown.- -.;Illegitimacy :-accounted | .'.-/ :»°i::ia{great proportion;'.and 'amounted. 1 ./;'■-.• tP,.3l:.per;cent ; of the admissions/ Thb ;'-: 'J?y. me . n te under:orders,of the. Court by ~/ parents/of' children 'admitted as .j'ndi-' /.; might, be' set. dowii v as about £2400 ■■:■, v;a;;year.;?The;ra.te T 'per ; .head of. parental ,; contributions - for all 'inmates was ,'ap- : S;. prqxiriiat?ly.• £3:lis.r'pef /year. ! The v inV ,', sp|btorj"; who; lias; been. connected.- with .;/iiidustrial':;/school,:; admiriistratiori for . /^cf.;,??/ years;' stated definitely that a .■'.;. ■.decided;. l chango for tho.'worse ,waa talt;.;.llig£plico/,in;..the: direction/, of vparonls/ ;;: and/relatives trying tovfoist their 're- .; spbnsibilitios .on to the/State in tho ; '.'.',■'■"• : ln^ r ■-:°f.. maintaining. - children and ;//6tliers : ;iunable:to earn;their-living// /A : • .gi;?a,i_.deal/of,,tlib"moriey which, -was .'"' fast/ud..:by: the 1 parents in drink, gam-.' ■;.:;Uiiig,;.arid/6tlier-ways;- said- the .At :■ torney-General, properly bo .taken by, the .State. There was a real- .;-:-" need for, tho i Bill; 'and he/was hopeful that,another; place would.recogiiise tho noed/fbf'it. ;';;.;.;;'.: v. ' o.> :SA»tUEL/: / (Taranaki) .' ;..--.thpught.the.present measure was a verv / ■ .:grp.a't,,imp'rb'vomerit r oii the' old Act, and'l ; , proceeded-/to' otitliiio/: the .principal di- -, reetig«;in;'which tho'iniprovements'went. i ;.'■■ lfc^m'/Bill-was-'passed'as it- stood 'if I ;.. womd dp:a great:amount of good.- - /;; SAMUEL' /said ; . comparativelv .:•■ .tew,.; of;- the"-pVovisions" hei ' had . : , 0 j ) lF, ct ! ; " to still coiitainetl/in the Bill. ; y'. Hisrprincipal 'objections 'were':—'(l.).To present law so- asto reri-

.tier.;" women—unmarried, wivea, and widows—liable to-support their bro-.' '.•'■' '* her f; ':y!0 Giving Crown dobts priority toothervdebts, including debts for ne- . ':cessiiries. of life Supplied, to a man to ■ feed;; and :clotlio his. owii wife and children, v (3.). Giving an.option to an of--liciakto. solect, at will, whether an alleged/offender, should be prosecuted by indictment in.the Supreme Court or by . summarily by ai magistrate. ■ (4.) Imhummarily by,a''magistrate; (4.) Imposing, .as he thinks unduly, on every accused 'person . the .burdon of proving -'*, : n ?g?tive; and thus doing violence t6 ■■t-woy.xital -principle .'that, every, man; -should ;.bd: deemed.- ■■innocent- unless- ho ■ .ls-iprpved:guilty."' (5.) Altering, .the present:law by depriving every-accused ■ psrebh: liable to be imprisoned for more . .than : . three months ■'of: his right to be : ,tned:by-ri:jiiry':of his fellow free men,. : : instead;-of. ; by: one. permanent 'salaried oflicial.vd-le-still thought the objections hchadalluded to ought to be remedied but on" the Hvholo tho JBiJl was a good Bill; and would be a great improvement uivmany respects on tho present Act even;;without .his .. suggested■■''.-'"amend--rnontS;;; .-■■; ;;-;'■"' ;\: '■ ;■-.:,-,--. • - ..'" Tlio. Hon. J. ..' 8,. CALLAN (Otago)' commenting, on the remarks quoted by tn'e. : Attonioy-Goneral wi" to the tenA ? 3%: ."..People to' foist; their responsibility ;on the , State, expressed re K ret, that' an»uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew had ;;bo<«r deleted from tho definition of near relative." . - . ' ii - iß i ??,"' p-„ M r , LUKE (Ellington) thought the Bill did great credit to tho author, and. would bring in a great reform^ The-Hon. R.A, LOUGHNAN (Wellington) was of opinion. that the Bill was as, hoar perfect as it could be The Hon. J."."T.. PAUL (Otago) . .thought tho Bill considerably enhanced thn' : repiitalion of tho Attorney-General as'|;a-humanitarian : statesman.. Ho hoped the Bill would speedily reach the Statute Book. v..-.-.-.-' -. • ;The Horn G. JONES (Otago) also expressed his satisfaction, with the-Bill. The third reading of the Bill was agreed to and the Bill passed.

RANCITAIKI LAND DRAINACE. The Raiigitaiki Land Drainage Bill was put through its Comraitteo stage without discussion. Tho third reading of tho Bill was sot down for Wednesday. ■';.. TOWN BOARDS AMENDMENT. ' The Town Boards Amendment Bill was also put through Committee and was reported without amendment. Tho third reading of the Bill was made an order of the day for Wednesday next. .EXHIBITIONS BILL. . Tho third reading of the Exhibitions Bill; was agreed to after a short discussion, and- the Bill was passed. , On rising the Council adjourned until noxt : Wednesday afternoon. ,