PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 62, 10 September 1904, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY'S SITTINGS. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Tbo Council resumed its sitting aftor wo wont to press yesterday, nnd occupied this remainder of the silling till 4.40 p.m. in discussing the question of Chinese labour in the Rand mines. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THE ESTIMATES. I At 3.5 p.m., yesterday the House went into Committee of Supply for the consideration of the Estimates. The vote for Stamps and Deeds Departments, £29,806, passed unaltered. OUR' LUNATIC ASYLUMS. The noxb class taken was Lunacy and Charitable Aid Department, £79,230. At the vote /or lunatio asylums, £72,160, Mr. Da-vey moved a reduction of £1 as nn indication that the Committee conRiders it advisable that an Appeal Board should be set up to which could be referred the complaints, otc, of asylum attendants. JTe strongly urged tho claims of asylum attendants for redress. Mr.. T. Mackenzie said humane, intelligent, and capable people were required as attendants, and these could not be obtained for the wretched pittance paid by the Government. Mr. J. C. Thomson complained of overcrowding in tho asylums, and thought it was the duty of the Government to show every consideration towardß both inmates and attendants. Tho Minister for Public Works sympathi6ed with the attendants, and recognised the arduous nature of their work. The desire of the Department was to provido better means of classification of the patients, and that was now being done. He desired to impress on members that there was no antagonism on bis part to any -suggestions mudo by members /or the improvement of the asylum conditions. He wanted to get first-class attendants, und to treat them so thut it would bo worth their while to remain in the service. The question of increased pay for the attendants was before Cabinet, and provision for this purpose would bo mado on the Supplementary Estimates. Mr. Wilford said tho Minister, who was strong when dealing with public works, was timid and shy when dealing with tho asylum question. He advocated a hulf-way house between the asylum and tho gaol. That would relievo tho overcrowding. Mr. EH urged that children should bo token out of the asylums. Mr. Taylor said the Minister was on trial for his administration. Ho would like him to take the position of baker at tho Sunnymdc Asylum for three months. If he did that he would como back ono of the most ardent reformers in tho colony. . In - tbo course of further discussion, Mr. Jos. Alien said the result of Boards of Appeal in two instances (Ra.il iTays and Teachers) was not satisfactory, aud at I lio present time he had reason to know that it was an extremely difficult thing indeed to maintain discipline in the Railway Service. In. regara to the Railway Appeal Board, he thought they were verging closely on a dangor> point. Mr. Barbev quoted from Dr. Gow's report, in which he referred to tho liability of nn outbrouk of fire that existed ut tho Mount View Asylum. Ho hoped that in Ihfl meantime the fire appliances there would be improved, nnd Ihnt eventually tho buildbm would bn abandoned. In the course of further disruwion, Mr Herries urged that it was quite time that tho provisions of. (he -Arbitration Act .should be extended to nil Government employees. Tho Premier said if there wos one Department r«f tho^Stftte, in which the strh'tcbt discipline was necessary, it was iv our asylums. If the control nf the attendants was tii ken out of tho hand* of the Superintendent nnd they weru allowed if> appeal to an outside Board it must impair the discipline of tho institution nffected. Tho promise made by tho Hon. W. Hall-,7onr» that the attendants should have the right to' appeal diruct to the Minister should be given a fair trial. With regar.d to what had been said nbout the hours ftf work ot tißylnm attendants, ha declared thrt-t the condition of the attendants so far as hours of work, leave, and rat« of pay weru concerned had been largely improved since Mr. Holl-Jones took chargo of tho Department. The Government had been ehurged with having unduly increased the publio expenditure, and yet It was now being urged that tho salaries of the attundants should be increased. He opposed the suggestion that Governemployees shquld be brought undor the Arbitral ion Act as being unconstitutional, illogical, and highly improper. Tho very membcrrH who were now urging this cojirso had absolutely refused to allow the same privilege to bo applied to agricultural labourers. Mr. Taylor criticised tho Sunnysido Asylum and the administration of tho institution by Dr. Lovingo. Ho quoted casos of asylum attendants who wore so poorly paid that they were compelled to let their lifo policies lapse. He was confident that thoso attonrlants nt that asylum who had m«de complaints would bo forced by the Superintendent to loavo before the year was out. Mr. Field, in urging tho necessity for an Appeal Board, said his cxporienco Had been that Medical Superintendents placed too much reliance upon tho reports of head attendants. If a head attendant took a dislike to a man, ho leported unfavourably on him, tho Suporlntondont accepted 'the report, and the man was dismissed. Mr. T. Mackenzie said that many of tho asylums in tho colony wore such cheorlesß and gloomy places — especially that at Porirua — that it would drive one insane to look at them. Mr. Duthie spoke of tho stato of unrest nnd dissatisfaction prevailing throughout the colony in connection with the lnnatic asylums. It was impropor that theso institutions should como doforo tho House your after year without any redress being granted, At tho samo timo tho Porirua Asylum was woll managod and woll administered. Speaking of Porirua, Mr. Rutherford said that it was a model institution, and ho had been delighted with it when shown over it by Clio lady visitor. Mr. Field also replied to Mr. T. Mnc kensrio's criticisms, and eulogised tho discipline) that obtained at Porirua. Aftor a protractod dubato Mr. Davoy's amendment was lost by 28 votes to 20. In tho course of further discussion on tho Lunntlc Asylums vote Mr. Massey pointed out, in reply to what tho Prcrrtior had said with regard to agricultural labourers, that tho Promior himself htul moved to oxcludo this class of workers from tho operation of tho Arbitration Act. The voto passod unaltered, as did also tho voto for Inebriates' Homes (£3524) and the Charitable voto (£3537). MINES DEPARTMENT. The next class taken was Minos, total vote £21,166. Mr. Witheford urged that a first-class geologist was wanted. Tho Minister replied that tho soloction was Tinder consideration. Mr. Hogg hoped that natives of Now ! Zealand would nob bo disqualified from receiving tho appointment of geologist, and ho objected to the practice which obtains of always appointing exports from outside tho colony. The fitness of New Zealnndors in many professions was ;

shown by Iho fact that whon thoy went outside tho colony thoy always received oxcollont appointinonts. Mr. J. Alton complained also that sufficiently largo salanos worn not paid by the Government to socuu tho services of our best mon. Dr. Marshall, of tho Otngo School of Minos, was woll qualified for tho position of Government Geologist. The whole voto passed unaltered. RAILWAYS. Tho Working Railways voto (£1,465,000) was next taken. Mr. Buchanan urged on tho Government tho necessity of altering tho whole of the sheep trucks to tho new pattorn recently introduced. The question of trucks at flag-stations was discussed by Mr. Lowis, wlio pointed out that trucks ordered by ono farmor woro "jumped" hx another. Mr. Witty auggostod that it should bo mado an ofienco tor one porson to tako and use tho trucks consigned to another. Mr. James Allen wanted to know what ai-rangemonts had been mado with tho Stato Coal Department with respect to coal for tho railways. Messrs. Wilford, Sidoy, and Lauronson urged tho necessity of fixing 8s as tho minimum wage for labourers employed by tho Railway Dopa/tmont. Tho Minister for Railways, in tho course of his roply to tho various spoakors, said that very great improvements had been mado in tho stock-trucks in recent years. With rospect to the complaintß regarding tho "jumping 1 ' of trucks at flag-stations, it was impossible) to expect that tho trucks should remain indefinitely at tho stations until used. With respect to tho Appeal Board thoro was no truth whatever in tho suggestion that thoro was foar of tho disciplino in tho Railway Department suffering through its existonco. After further debate the total voto passod unaltorod, and tho Houso adjourned at ,1.55 a.m.