JUVENILE CRIME.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 385, 17 July 1889, Page 5

JUVENILE CRIME.

The Government have under consider a tion the representations made during the recess by meetings of justices, on the question 3f dealing with juvenile offenders, and have only been waiting the recommendations ot the Wellington justices bo lake effectual step^.

FISHER Y. ATKINSON. The House by thi? time is thoroughly sick of the differences between the late Minister of Education and the Premier. The now famous correspondence has already had sufficient of their attention, but no doubt ib is not yet finished, and now more of the public time has been wasted over what is really a private matter. Mr Fisher asked some time ajro to have the correspondence relating to the case of the convict Gasparini laid before the House. This was done ; but in it was a memorandum from the Governor reflecting on Mr Fisher for having: the correspondence printed without the authority of Government. Mr Fisher declared the next day that this was done for the convenience of the late Governor, and followed this up by writing a letter to the "Post" explaining that the Premier knew of it. Yesterday the Premier addressed the House at length on the subject, and showed how Mr Fisher had had 400 copies of the correspondence printed for himself, without the authority or knowledge of his colleagues or of the Governor. He said it was a serious matter that public correspondence should be printed in this way, evidently for private distribution. Mr Fisher replied very bitterly to the charge. He admitted that he had the printing done, but declared it was a case, not where a private subject was concerned,

bub where a Minister of the Crown wa charged with a most infamous crime, viz. that of assisting 1 in the escape of a convict. He declared that he had had considerable difficulty in getting his defence to the Governor, and he was perfectly justified in doing what he did. Sir George Grey paid that the outcome of this dispute would be that tho House would have to lay down a rule that Ministers of the Crown in this colony should not be allowed in the tubure to at the same time act as servant of a foreign Power. Mr Fisher explaine i that his acceptance of tho Italian Consulship had been submitted to the Cabinet and permitted. Mr Seddon regretted the scene that had happened on the floor of the House between Mr Fisher and bho Premier, but defended Mr Fisher's action. Ho assured the House that if Mr Fisher had not brought up the matter he intended to have an inquiry into the serious charge made in the newspapers against the late Minister of Education. He considered Mr Fisher was now completely exonerated from that charge, but he further thought Mr Fisher had nob been treated fairly and squarely in the matter. Mr Samuels considered the matter had been given far too much prominence. Mr Fisher had perhaps committed an error of judgment, but did nob deserve the censure he had received, for his action had not been dishonourable. Sir H. Atkinson thought it was a very important matter of public interest, for it there was nob confidence between ministers there would be an end to effective public life. The debate took up an hour and a quarter — time practically wasted, as members generally recognised.