POLITICAL NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 305, 20 September 1919, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

0, SIR FRANCIS BELL ON GRAND JURIES. Keplying yesterday afternoon to criticisms directed against the Grand Jury system the Hon. Sir Francis Bell (Leader of the Legislative Couiml) made mi interesting observation upon a, Junction of the Grand Jury that is not generally stressed/ He said: "Throughout tho country there lias been a ~ lol™ l e increase of assaults upon little girls, iue Grand Juries have had to deal with the consideration of those cases, and they have been considerably shocked. Now the opinion has been expressed bv Grand Jnrv after Grand Jury that mere imprisonment is, not a sufficient deterrent. That may be right or wrong, but the expression of opinion upon the point could not Teach the judges except, by presentment of the Grand. Jury." After pointing out that .the.. Grand Jury was a body'representative of the eeneral public Sir"Francis Bell concluded with the statement."that to,abolish it would be to abolish a curious means of communicating with an isolated body, via., the Bench.-HYDRO-ELECTRIC WORKS. \ suggestion that tho Government should set. up a special organisation for ' the direction of operations in the establishment of the hydroelectric.schemes was made to Die Minister of Public 'Works in the House-yesterday by Mr. C. A. Wilkinson.: .• • '■ "'•' , Sir William-Fraser. said' that- much of the preparatorv work for the power stations was iiot.'electrical engineering. It was work"'that could be'done by fh« j'ublie Work's'staff, arid he'did not think aliv good nunilise' would be nerved by . ke»pin?another staff-'- equal in ability fo>- this other work that could be quite well done by the ordinary.staff. Mr. Parr':" Will' tlie.v-lin.ve time? Sir William Fraser: Plenty of time. ■There-willbbrnon r no delay on that account. •He went on jo say that electrical engineers would Make charge of the .electrical work. ■ He-expressed the-opinion also lhat thesei enterprises "should ho con--'trolletlby-a'board with.a business man 'at the head'of it. for this was a- business undertaking, arid no Minister, could keep complete; control of such a concern. He .did not think a. hoard.was needed yet, but it. might-he wise to .setup the. board to deal: with'-the progress'of the conslructiou work, after .a.little time. The board would, bo able Mo advise the Minister on'.this,..-ind also-to., ftflvjse the Minister, as to..olher..scheines.proposed. . . : PRiVATE MEMBEfIS; BILLS. Two-private members of .the. .House ask. Ed the Ministers yesterday to take up their Bills introduced. Mr. Veitch was ■ interested in his .Workers' Accommodation Bill, and Mr. Semple.iti. his Coal Mines Amendment Bill and. his Mir.inz Amendment-Bill. Mr.. Massey promised Mo examine Mr. Veitch's BilL Sir Wildiaiu Fraser said he could not take up ■Mr.'-Semple's Bills, ,l)ut informed him that he would have opportunities to move amendments when the Government Bills •o'i flic .same; matters were ■before the • House •... -,- •..- ■■: ~ ..'■ , Mr. E. Newman.. M.P.. has been informed bv tho Hon. Mr. Guthrie, Minis- • le.r of Ln'nds, that It is'proposed to bring down: legislation during the present session providing,for advances hems made, to me» who entered camp classed fit A, but who ;did not proceed overseas owing .to accident or, sickness contracted m camp, not caused.-by their own neglect or negligence. '. THE WELFARE LEAGUE. Members of the House were invited by the Welfare League'to attend a meeting yesterday to hear an address from the president (Mr. C. P. Skerrett) on the. ainn and platform.of the-league. Ihe invitations were sent to members personally and Ministers, ex-Ministers, and l'ai'tv Whips were not invited. It is understood that, the president addressed members on the desirability of forming a new-party without the aid of the'present party leaders, and generally along the lines'-he has followed in his other addresses. Members present-and there were n good number of them—asked miestions, but so far as can bo learned none of them committed themselves to any important opinions on the subjects traversed by Mr. Skerrett.