PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 14 August 1907, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13. By Telegraph.—Per Press Association, • LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. j The Council mot at 2.30. j The Attorney-General moved that Die Council at rising adjourn until the following Tuesday. This was carried. The llcscrve Fund Securities Bill was put through all its stages. Sir .Maurice O'Kurke gave notice to move for the re-establishment of the provincial form of Government. lion. T- Kelly urged the Govenun nt to get a copy of the. report on patent medicines just presented to the Coni-

inomvc.iJth Parliament. 1 The Attorney-General said lie would endeavor to get u copy. _ The following Bills were read a nrst time, on the motion of the AttornoyGeneral: Chattels Transfer Act Amendment, Evidence Relating to Mattes Pending Before 'Foreign Tribunals, Amendment of Indictable Offences Siun-

nuiry .Inrisiliction Act. On the motion of Hon. 0. Samuel it was resolved that one set of statutes i of New Zealand be annotated. The Council rose at 2.30.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at. 2.30. The Olaki and Povirua Empowering Hill, second reading, was postponed -or one week. Leave of absence for one week was granted to Mr T. MeKcnzie, on account of urgent private business. A week's absence was granted to Mr D. Rcid, on account of sickness in his family. The. amendments made ill committee to the Costley Training Institution Act \mcndmcnl Bill and the Tohunga Suppression Bill were agreed to, and Hie Bills read a third, time and passed. . JlOAItl LAND SETTLEMENT.

The House went into Committee on the Maori Land Settlement Act Annodmeut Bill. Mr Slasscy asked that a clause be included in the Bill providing for details of expenditure under the Act being placed annually before Parliament. Hon. J. Carroll moved an amendment to make retrospective the powers of life Crown to purchase portions of undivided interests owned by a Maori m anv bind owned by Maoris. Mr Hemes urged th»t the amendment should not he submitted until the Native members had had had a chance of expressing their opinions. As it wi« the whole of the Maori members were, absent owing t'o the Native Land Commission- At any rate, he added, he could not agree to the amendment unless he had the consent of the native

members. . .Mr Massoy rose to a point of ovder. Hi- asked if the Hill lifitl been printed in the Maori language. The Clviirman ruled against Mr Massoy on the point. Mr Laurenson expressed his surprise at'Mr Massey raising objections to the Bill on technical points, tic asserted that on the East Coast 100,000 acres of Native hauls had been leased for !>') years by one family. Further, the numiiiev of sheep was decreasing in r.ie Hawke's Bav district, whilst cattle were increasing on the runs, showing that closer settlement was not taking place in that district. In the Waiapu County ] aggregation of Native lands was taking ptace to such -m extent as to have made it almost impossible for a settler to lease land. He read a list of twelve applications for native land, of mi area of 30,000 acres, which he was informed were all for one family. Hon. J. Carroll pointed _ out that though large areas were being appliM for, it did not follow that they would be {rrafltcd by the Native Land Board. Mr Henries again urged that the Bill should not be proceeded with until fill the Native members had. had a chance of expressing their views, i Hon. Carroll said no attempt had been made to force natives to sell. They had always been told that they ' need not sell any of their land unless : they desired, and that they could R'H , any portion they were willing to sell . anil retain tlic remainder. ' Mr Stevens urged that seven-eighths ! of the purchase money should he invested for the benefit of the. natives, and not allowed to he squandered. Mr KII urged that no more land should be put on the market until the law Mad been amended so as to prevent the aggregation of estitcs. Hon. Carroll pointed nvl that the Hoards had full power to refuse any ; applications of which they did not approve. Eventually, on a division, the aanend- [ ment was carried by 35 to 15: The ■ clause as amended was agreed to on I the voices.

Mr Massey moved a new clwse to provide that details of expenditure he. laid before Parliament.

The clause was agreed to without :liscussion, and the Bill as amended was reported. ESTIMATES. The House went into Committee of Supply. Justice Department, "Miscellaneous services," £11,045, was passed unaltered. The House adjourned at 5.30.

EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30On "Prisons Estimates, £44,110," Mr Hogg, referring to the treatment meted out to prisoners, siid that if they were subjected to similar treatment to what settlers in the back-blocks had to put up witlv few prisoners would return to gaol. He advocated that prisoners should work not only to maintain themselves, but for the 'benefit of others. [Particularly should this course be ndiptcd in regard to wife desertion. Mr Laurenson urged the reform of the present prison system,-which was obsolete, and bad proved so ia older countries, it would be better to spend a few pounds annually to effect the cure of criminals. Mr Bnj-elay urged that scientific vestigation should be made with a vinv of reforming prisoners, rather than spend huge sums on punishing them/ Mr Duncan said the prison system in New Zealand was the best in the world, so fair as it goes, but it did not go far enough. .He advocated more prisoners being sent to Hie country to engage in tree-planting, and those who could not be so treated should be put to a trade and made work at it, not play. Air KM referred to the deaths that

had recently taken place in gaols, and urged that sick prisoners suffering from excessive drinking should lip sent to a hospital. Mr Masse y said prisoners sent to ti\v planting should he short-sentence men with good records, ft would be altogether wrong to send dangerous prisoners to the country districts treeplanting, lie urged that prisoners suffering from delirium tremens should not be sent to gaol, neither should thoy he sent to mental hospit.ils, but some special provision should be made- He contrasted the cost of prisoners' maintenance at Auckland with other gaols, and

niiserted that at Auckland they w-tte made to do useful work, which decreased the cost of maintenance.

Mr jUeLaehlan said they could not teach prisoners trades, as the various trade unions would he up in arms, lie added that the workers of New Zealand should not compete with the. prison labor, cither of New Zealand or England, Germany or America.

Mr Laurcnson said the reason for tec smaller cost of the maintenance of prisoners at Auckland was due to the faot that the Auckland gaol contained more prisoners than any other gaol, the reason for this being that there were 110 suburban gaols in Aw-', hind. He urged that prisoners should ;. ake shoes ;ind clolhing for usue in the gaols. He added that the gaols should not be allowed to exist within cities. Mr Ell moved an amendment to reduce the vote by £1 as an indication that the time has arrived when gaols should be placed outside the cities. Mr Okey. replying to Mr Laurenson, opposed ilie suggestion that New Plymouth gaol be dosed. There were few prisoners there, but they were doing

I good work. I Mr Poole advocated fair punishment. ] being meted out to offenders agaiast j the law. lie said if seamen on British I ships were treated in the same manner as prisoners in the gaols of New Zealand, they would be a much huppi?r ; class of men. Referring to inebriates, be said lie would give them some sort of luxury, and consign to prison the persons who made the inebriates. Mr Rutherford said it would not do to pbice the worst class of criminals tree : planting. Only the best class <i 1 prisoners should lie utilised fou this

purpose. He urged that prisoners should be used for the purpose of making roads. Mr Hunan asked what would bo done with existing gaols if it were decided to remove all prisoners to country gaols. They were of no use for any other purpose, and it would he a Serious matter to build new gaols, j Mr Mil considered Mr Hanan stood ;. alone in his views.

Mr \V. Fraser said the whole system of reform must be in the classification o£ jirisoners, Mr Wllford—You tin 110 more classify criminals than you can laborers. Mr Wilford" said he had had dealings j with criminals for 10 years, and he was , convinced that sentiment was lost on .hardened criminals. Further, the best !behaved criminals were hardened cri-

miiiiils. Proceeding, ho stated lie hai known of Hardened criminals who liai Riven a lifting hand to now prisoner! These hardened criminals realised the; were in the ruck, and whilst roady it ISO fo'iick to gaol themselves,were williii) Ito lielj> new offenders. He intended tc support Mr Ell's amendment, as he considered gaols should not bo allowed in exist in cities. Mr Lauren son Bawl the worst prisoners to 'deal with were those who wore continually in gaol.

Mr Tanner said that while we line such exhibitions as the Kelly Gang go ing about the country, we were tendiiij to make criminals, and he thought th time had arrived when some censorshi should be exercised over the theatric 1 representations of criminal doings. Mr Ell's amendment was negative* by 33 to 23. The Hon. Mr McGowan said he wa. not going to teach prisoners trades t< compete with free laborers. Whereve possible, the Department was givhi( better light in gaols. The prisoner, sent to the country for tree-plantin| were first offenders or prisones under going sentences for minor offences. Mr Wilford said he had heard meiii bers raise their voices in protest agains what were described as anomalies, bu never had he heard a Minister admi that members were right. It was hear! rending to get up and urge reform, iw be met .with a Ministe's reply to th effect that there was nothing in th argument. The Prisons Department, £44,11( passed without alteration. Alt the Police Department, £158,6-!f Mr Tanner, referring to the deaths o infants, said that at Christchurch the* was a matron -whose duty as inspeeto under the Infant Life Protection Ac was to inspect registered homes. Sh had a total of 126 such homes to in spect, and in addition her duties at th' police station were sufficient to oceup; the whole of her time. He further ap sorted that to efficiency inspect homes would occupy the whole time of two in specfors, consequently it was no wondo the duty of inspecting these infan Homes was carried out in a far fron satisfactory manner. Mr Wilford, referring to the pay o detectives, said it took 23 years befor they reached the maximum salorv o 14s 6d per day. A detective started after eight years in the police force, a 9s Cd per day, or (Id per dav less thm a dustman employed by the'Wellmgtoi Corporation. He added that when a po lice constable became a detective, ii could never become an inspector or snl: inspector, -©illy one member of the detective force during the last 20 year had been appointed a sub-inspector. Mr Hanan s lid the establishing u the system of different salaries U: police officers in different towns had whilst doing away with ranks, trough mtojhe force a system of grades,whlel !aus~e3 jealousy. Mr Wilford, resuming, said eight scr ?eants had been appointed suli-inspec Eors over The heads of chief detectives He urged that chief detectives shouh be paid the same salary as a sub-in spector, and granted the right to be :ome inspector. Mr Hogg contended that, compavei with the officials of other Departments the Biilwny Department for instanci the pay nf detectives was very satis factory. He added that we were get ting a good intelligent class of men t enter the police force, which was uin liialled by the forces of the neighbor ing States. Mr Poole urged that the Ancklam >olicc should be provided with a launcl n order that they could patrol tin vater frontages. Mr Gray complimented the Ministei m having increased the pay of eon tables, but considered the increase not snough. , Mr Barber advocated an increase oi solice in suburban districts. Mr Hemes said he had heard a great leal of favoritism was shown in the iromotion of police officers, and urged bat a roll be presented" showing the alary anil pay of every officer in ihe orce.

Mr Arnold urged that Inducements should be hold out to all officers of the force to stimulate them to rise, Mr MeOowan said the question ct licensed homes for infants was under consideration. Referring to appointments of inspectors and sub-inspectors, lie slid if detectives continued in that brunch, enjoying higher pay, they could not expect to .receive a higher position in the uniform branch, but if they cared to resume duty in the uniform branch, they would become eli;,,'e for the Eigher positions. The- Police Department, ■£159,679, passed unaltered. (Twoft Sitting.)

MEIKLE ACQUITTAL ACT. The Premier during the afternoon gave notice of the introduction of the Meikle Acquittnl Act.