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Southland Times, Issue 957, 25 May 1868, Page 2

In order to present our readers with Mr Stafford's speech in a connected form, we reprint in this issue the first portion of it. We are authorised to state that a commission has been appointed by His Honor the Superintendent, to enquire whether, by some modification of the present Hospital Regulations, arrangements could not be made for carrying out the scheme alluded to in His Honor's address at the opening of last session of the Council, viz., to make some suitable provision to meet the case of poor patients who may, on their discharge from the Hospital, be still., physically unable to earn their own subsistence, also, for other aged or in- • firm persons, who must otherwise, as at present, depend alone on private charity ; to inquire into tha present treatment of criminal [or neglected children, and devise the best means of providing systematically for their management by means of a Government Institution. They are also to ascertain whether the Ladies' Benevolent Society will co-operate. The gentlemen forming the commission are, Messrs Nutter, Dundas, M { Arthur, M'Pherson, Armstrong, and Pearson. It is gratifying to be able to record, in the same issue in which one of the subjects submitted to the commission is so painfully prominent, the fact that the Q-overnment ia evidently anxious to co-operate energetically with the people, in applying the remedies to mitigate the evils of which so much complaint has been made.

Iks tot of what is proposed to b 8 a series of * ! Penny Headings" came off with very marked success, in the Exchange-building, on Saturday evening last. Considering that very little time had been allowed for preparation, the meeting having only been fully decided on four days before, the arrangements were really very complete, while the readers and musicians performed each their part with much good taste and ability, j The audience at least, which was large (there T^re fully two hundred persons present), seemed much delighted, and warmly applauded the several performers. There was in one marked instance, howevei', a grave error committed, which we think it but right "we should point out to the oommitteo of management, and that was the extreme length of the first piece read. A reading which occupies over half an hour is far too long, even the hands of an eloquent speaker, to suite the taste of a promiscuous auidence, and necessitates either the protraotion of the meeting to a late hour, or the hurrying over the rest of a programme arranged on the supposition that no speaker should occupy more than ten or fifteen minutes. We trust that now the Penny Eeading movement has been fairly launched, it may be kept going with tact and energy. We are informed that notwithstanding the merely nominal charge for admittance, the sum taken at the door will amply suffice to meet all expenses. While our mede of praise is due to all concerned, we must specially notice the liberality of Mr Patchett, of the Melbourne Hotel, who most cordially gave the use of his handsome and fine toned piano. On Saturday last a number of the shopkeepers in town were mulct in sundry petty fines, for having in their possession unjust weights and measures. It is but fair, however, to observe that in no instance was there any apparent intention to defraud j in fact, in a goodly proportion of the cases, the fines were inflicted in consequence of the weights in use being too heavy j and it does seem very hard that a man Bhould be fined for giving his customers the benefit of a litt'e extra weight, or the turn of the beam. It is, however, well that a uniform standard of weights and measures should obtain, and that the strictest justice between buyer and seller should be insisted upon. We are, therefore, glad to learn that the Inspector has at last made a thorough examination, and put the costly standards with which he was some time ago supplied to some practical use. At the Resident Magistrate's Court on Friday last a most distressing case of juvenile delinquency was brought prominently before the public. Three little children of the name of Busbridge, the eldest not more than seven, the youngest a little girl of only three years of age, were brought up charged with having, on the day previous, made an entrance to a store near the Jetty, and carried off a miscellaneous collection of groceries. Mrs Moran, the owner of the store in question, gave evidence that on the day named she had, as she thought, securely locked up her shop and then gone up to town on busines, on her return shortly afterwards she found the store door open, and, in the goods scattered about the floor, sufficient evidence to show that some one had been in and made pretty free with her stock. Suspecting who the depredators were, she hunted up the children, and found in theit possession several articles belonging to her, such as tins of jam, dried apples, &c, some silver which was also missed was not found ou the children. Mrs Morran then,| of course, communicated the case to the police. Sergeant O'Keefe deposed to the fact that the children were habitually neglected by their mother, whom he described as a woman of dissolute habits, a frequenter of bad houses, and otherwise guilty. This the woman, who was in court, denied, asserting that she went out washing and cooking to earn bread for her children, and called a witness to corroborate her statement. The witness, Mr M'Arthy, of the Now Market Hotel, stated that Mrs Busbridge had been of late employed by him, but admitted that she frequently required to have a nobler in the morning to " sober " her. His worship reminded Mr Weldou that any hotelkeeper could be fined for allowing prostitutes or other disorderly characters to frequent his house. Mr Weldon intimated that the law in this respect would have to be enforced. Ultimately the woman was dismissed with a caution as to her future behaviour. The poor children were also set at liberty, the Magistrate regretting that no institution for their reception was yet in existence. This case shows most forcibly the urgent necessity that exists for the immediate establishment of an industrial school, or juvenile reformatory of some sort, and it is to be hoped that the Government will, without delay, take the necessary steps in the matter.