PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 199, 20 August 1904, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

(By Telegraph—Parliamentary Reporter.} WELLINGTON, this day. INQUESTS. The Coroners Bill has been amended by the Statutes Revision UomrniUee. to provide that inquests must be heard helore juries, the bill having originally proposed that magistrates, who Will be coroners by virtue of their office, should determine cases without the assistance of jurors. LICENSED TOHUNGAS. Mr Herries, speaking on the Estimates last night, expressed astonishment at lhe Government "Gazette" of recent date containing a notification of the licensing of .Maori tohungas, the very class which it was the duty of the Government to suppress. Mr A. L. D. Fraser also complained of the action of the Maori Councils. He declared the chief men of the councils were bringing down by-laws whereby these infamous scoundrels were licensed at a pound a year to carry on their iniquitous practices. He regretted that anything stamped with the seal of Government approval should allow such procedure. The Native Minister said that it was acknowledged that there were tohungas throughout the country. They were frauds, travelling round tbe country professing healing arts and sciences and unsettling the __ori communities wherever they went, .but he asked, "How are you going to deal with them? Suppose you do not frame regulations, what dor you propo-v2 ? You cannot interfere with them any more than you can with Dowie or s-ome of those charlatans that go around professing different religions." Rather than have regulations which were repugnant to their minds, he continued, members were willing that these tohungas should go on practising their baneful arts. It was necessary to bring tohungas under the power or councils, and the only way to do that was to have regulations under which they had to apply for licenses. If the regulations could bring tohuugaism to a practical end they should not be condemned. TREATMENT OF PRISONERS. In the House last, night Mr Baumc tried to oper up the question of the general treatment of prisoners and the necessity of a change in the selection of tvarders, no doubt having in view tne recent O'Reilly-Jay trouble, but the Chairman of Committees pointed out that this did not arise out of the Estimates. Mr Baunie then asked whether the Minister intended 1 1 improve tbe treatment, of prisoners on remind, and whether he would have cases of prison discipline deMt with by magistrates, giving prisoners the privilege of being represented by counsel. He further asked on what qualifications warders were chosen, whether it was for strength or size, ana whether the Minister intended to introduce the system of indeterminate sentences? The Minister for Justice said that warders had to be of good pnysique and character; He was opposed to magistrates hearing charges of breaches of prison regulations, believing tha*. this was subversive of discipline! As to the treatment of prisoners, he tho'ight he knew what Mr Bau'me was referring to, and in reply said that he otlie/ved that our prison system was hard to beat. The warders knew that if they carried out their duties well they would do better and better. It had to be remembered that prisoners were there for punishment. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FIRST READINGS. The School Attendance and Police Offences Act Amendment Bills were read a first time. In dispute the Council decided to insist upon its amendment b ; ll •triking out the limit of two \ears v\ith in which any by-law may be'disallow d and managers were appointed to confer with managers from the House. A minor amendment was made in the Land Drainage Bill, and the Council rose at p.m. JOTTINGS. Mr Jennings wants the Minister in charge of the Tourist Department to reserve the scenery m the Tekuiti Gorge.

WOLFE'S SCHNAPPS tones the stomach and invigorates the bowels.