Political Notes.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7906, 23 August 1905, Page 3

Political Notes.

The main discussion on the Justice vote in the Estimates, was in regard to the increased salaries to Magistrates. There was no objection to raising the salaries, but the Opposition urged that the Magistrates should be placed on & permanent [footing, just the same as Supreme Court Judges are. They do not want Magistrates subservient to the will of any Government of the day. To concede that, an important issue was raised—the termination of the tenure of office of all the Magistrates, and the review o[ their position. The Government view was that the colony had every reason to be satisfied with the men who were administering justice in the lower Courts, and they were themselves content with the positions they occupied ; they had, in fact, expressed no desire for a change. The Opposition contention was that the best men would not be attracted to the Bench at the salaries offered, and yet, the Premier explained, when the salaries were increased, (lie old objections raised for many years past on these Estimates were reiterated The vote was passed unaltered.

The introduction of the Workers' Dwellings Dill gave an opportunity for brief reference to the inequality of taxation. Mr Taylor pointed out that for many years the credit of this colony had been pledged on (he London market, and the whole benefit had gone to the landed proprietory class, and it was time (he toilers received some consideration. The burden ol rent in New Zralaml was increasing yearly, and the cost of living was greater to the city dweller than to his brother in the country. Mr Buchanan championed the cause of the landowner. Did the hon. member mean to say that thousands of working men had not benefited in an equal degree by the money borrowed ? How many men had been sent from Canterbury to the North Island in 1885 to open up roads, and Who participated in the expenditure of two million of loan money ? Mr Fowlds put the problem in this way : The labourer gave value in serviees rendered for tne money he got./the landlord got it without any labour at all. He was satisfied the State was going on wrong lines altogether in spending public money in thil direction. They could get cheap irorkDtea'l homes if they only applied the

naturai taxation—the single tax. It | was the absence of taxation that caused the enormous increase oi values. The House was indifferent to the suggestion. •,• * • Prisons ana -prison reform occupied a fair share of attention. Some members advocated the establishment of a kind oi half-way house between gaol and asylum lor men sent to pri-i son for excessive drinking. They were not criminals, and should not ,be herded with them- Mr Laurenson came to light with a new proposal. Would the Minister for Justice allow some competent man, say, once in three months, to give addresses on selected subjects to men confined in gaols ? There were scientific men in Canterbury College who would be prepared to do this, and he lelt sura the experiment would do 110 harm. The member for the Hutt humorously suggested that instead of prisoners getting a flogging, Mr McNab should be allowed to address them occasionally on the Absolute Majority Hill. The suggestion did not commend itself to the House. The leader of the Opposition drew attention to the cost of maintaining the criminals inthis colony, and quoted some interesting figures from the prisons repi-rt what it cost per head to maintain them in the chief centres Net Cost. »n £ s. d. J Auckland ... 13 15 5 ■ Dunedin 46 i 4 Hokitika ... 53 15 4 InverCargill 28 6 1 Lyttelton 18 n jq Napier , 45 7 6 New Plymouth 66 16 8 Wanganui 51 i 3 n Wellington 19 19 10 This gave a total average of £25 18s 2d per head per annum. The cost, in the opinion of the leader of the, Opposition, was far too much, and ought to be cut down. Men should he held, be sent to the larger centres, and maintained at a much lower cost,