TRANSPORTATION.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 801, 6 April 1853, Page 3

TRANSPORTATION.

The following remarks were made daring the debate on the Address to Her Majesty at the opening of Parliament, which show that Ministers had folly determined upon the cessation of transportation, and the substitution of another mode of punishment. i "the Earl of Donoughmore — The subject of transportation had long engaged the attention of their lordship's house. The colonies had often remonstrated against the present system, and her Majesty'a Government were anxious to find out some other mode of punishment by which the evils complained of tnight be obvi- j ated. (Hear, hear.) # The Earl of Derby — I do not hesitate to say j that I concur in a greit measure in what fell from j my noble friend behind me, and in thinking j that two causes have tiad a material effect on the result, viz., the extensive discoveries and production of gold in different parts of the world ; and the emigration which, partly artsing from these discoveries of gold, and from other inducements, has taken place to an enormous extent, and to a still increasing extent, in the coarse of the two last years. (Cheers.) Lord Lovaine — Buttherewat slavery i&iefc twisted, and whi6f|pse feasted would exist, and that was the slavery of crime. (Hear, hear.) It was gratifying to them, as well as their colonial brethren, to think that their present system of transportation to Van Diemen's Land would cease. (Hear, hear.) But it could not be denied that this would involve the mother country in considerable embarrassment, if transportation to the colonies were to cease 'altogether. He trusted however that a system might be devised by which crime might be checked in the outset, and by which the vast establishments they now' maintained would be reduced. Lord J. Russell — I am also glad to hear that some measure on the system of secondary punishment will be proposed, so that transportation to Van Diemen's Land may at the earliest possible period be abolished. There are two circumstances to be considered in the treatment of that question ; one, that we have given representative institutions to our Australian colonies ; and the other, the recent discoveries of gold in a portion of those coloniet. It is quite obvious tbat these two circumstances render it neccessary that we should revise the whole subject, and I am glad that the right honorable baronet the Secretary for the Colonies — to whom I took the liberty some time since of speaking on the subject— has come to the wise conclusion of not confining the question of transportation to Van Diemen's Land, but that the case as regards the whole of tbe Australian colonies should be reconsidered. (Hear, hear.) Of course there are other subject* connected with our penaMaws which must be discussed in company with this question, and which will no doubt occupy the attention of Government.