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19 Hi NEW ZEALAND

PUBLIC PETITIONS M TO Z COMMITTEE (REPORT OF) ON THE PETITION OF CLARA E. RAE AND OTHERS PRAYING FOR CLEMENCY AND FOR REDUCTION OF SENTENCE PASSED ON ALICE MAY PARKINSON, WITH REPORT OF CHIEF JUSTICE. (Mr. OKEY, Chairman.)

lit port brought up on the Bth July, 1916, and, toe/ether with Petition and Report of the Chief Justice, ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OF REFERENCE. Extracts front the Journals of the House of Representatives. Friday, the 19th Day of May, 1910. Ordered, " That a Select Committee lie appointed, consisting of ten members, to consider all petitions from M to 'A that may be referred to it by the Petitions Classification Committee, to classify and prepare abstracts of such petitions in such form and manner as shall appear to it best suited to convey to this House all requisite information respecting their contents, and to report the same! from time to time to this House, and to have power to report its opinions and observations thereon to this House ; also to have power to call for persons and papors ; three to be a quorum : the Committee to consist of Mr. Bollard, Mr. Coates, Mi. Craigie, Mr. Dickie, Mr. J. McO. Dickson, Mr. Okey, Mr. Statham, Mr. Poole, and the mover." -(Hon. Mr. Hanan.) Tuesday, the Klth Day of June, L 916. Ordered, " That the name of Captain Coates be deleted from the public Petitions M to Z Committee, and that the names of Mr. .1. S. Dickson and Mr. McCallum be added thereto."—(Hon. Mr. Hanan.)

PETITION. To Mr. Speaker and members of the House of Representatives in Parliament assembled. The petition of the undersigned electors of the Dominion of New Zealand showeth as follows : — 1. Alice May Parkinson was on the 9th and 10th days of June, 1915, tried before His Honour the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court, Napier, for the murder of Walter Albert West at Napier on the 4th day of March, 1915. 2. On the said I.oth day of June, 1915, a verdict of " Guilty of manslaughter " was returned by the jury, who strongly recommended the accused to mercy on account of the great provocation which she had received. .'). The learned Judge sentenced the accused to imprisonment for the term of her natural life. 4. Your petitioners pray that the mercy of the Crown may be graciously extended to the prisoner, on the grounds,— (1.) That the jury lias strongly recommended her to mercy : (2.) That the prisoner's character prior to the tragedy was unblemished : (3.) That she is only twenty-five years of age : (4.) That the offence for which she was convicted was committed while she was mentally irresponsible, if not legally insane : (5.) That she had spent all the money which she had saved as a servant girl in furnishing a home because of West's promises to marry her :