PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9173, 22 August 1908, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (By Telegraph -Abridged from Press Association Report). WELLINGTON, August 21. In the Legislative Council this afternoon the Coroners Amendment Bill passed its second reading. The I Attorney-General intimated that in Committee he would move a new clausedispensiug with the necessity of a coroner viewing the body where a medical practitioner certified that the deceased died frem infectious disease. The Local Authorities Indemnity Amendment Bill was passed, and the Council adjourned at 4.45 p.m. HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at 2.30 p.m. A discussion on prisons was initiated on the presentation of the prison's report. Mr G. Laurenson declared that the prison system ought to be reformed in the direction of making the treatment of prisoners reformatory rather than primitive. Mr C. H. Poole said that he thought that prisons should not be made so attractive as to keep d considerable class in them from choice. Great discrimination should be txercised in the class of men sent; to the tree-planting camps. Mr W. Herriea said that at present dangerous criminals were sent to camps. This should be stopped. Mr T. Wilford said that th«j classification of criminals by a criminal anthropologist was absolutely necessary. The Hon. J. McGow.m, in reply, said that classification was net reform. Scientific treatment was a term the meaning of which was not clear. He would introduce a reform in the prison system when desirable reforms suggested themselves. The House went into/Committee of Supply on the Estimates. Class 13 (Police Department, total vote £173,499) was passed unaltered. Class 14 (Mines Dtpartment. total vote £38,650) was al-o passed unaltered. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. On class 15 (Department of Internal Affairs, t'tal £120,061), some discussion took place regarding the printing of the electoral rolls, objection being taken to the new system of printing rolls in Wellington instead of in each electorate as formerly. Mr Allen moved to reduce the vote by £1 to test the feeling of the House. The Prime Minister said that every thing possible had been done to make the rolls perfect. If the members wanted to, go back to the old system of striking the name 3 of nonvoters off the roll let them do so. (Hear, hear). But the new system had been ariopttd to get over many difficultits. He quoted figures to /Show the reduction in the cost of preparing rolls. After a protracted discussion the motion was lost by 33 to 16. On the item ttegistrar-General's Department, £7,786, Mr Tanner said the quinquennial census w?.s costly, and useless, and a decennial census would be sufficient.