EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10760, 13 September 1900, Page 3

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. in Committee of Supply. Native Land Court, £12,660. Mr HOUSTON thought the time had arrived when these Courts should be abolished. Mr MONK thought litigation amongst natives should be discouraged as much as possible.

'Mr A. L. D. FRASER condemned the system that had arisen by which the Native Affairs Committee reviewed the decisions of tha Native Appellate Courts, and hoped that the Government would not revert to the system of dealing with titles to native land by commission. Mr HOUSTON was prepared to assert that the Native Lands Courts had inflicted cruel wrongs upon the natives, the result in many instances of permitting lawyers to appear inr-cases. ' ** Prisons, £28,751.

Mr MEREDITH asked how it was that there were six gaols in the colony where there were no prisoners.

Mr LAURENSON urged that gaols should bfe removed from the centres of population, and hoped that the Minister would give special attention to the subject.

Mr NAPIER said under the present system we were fast rearing up a race of criminals, and no effort was being put forth to reclaim them.

Mr SMITH thought the prison system of New Zealand would compare favourably with that of the system of any other country in the world, but believed it could be improved by adoption of some of the recommendations of the Inspector of Prisons.

. Mr MEREDITH did not want to see prison labour entering into competition with, free labour. At the same time he thought that prison labour should be so utilised as to make the prisoners selfsupporting. Office of _hdust-ies and Commerce, £2125.

In reply to Mr Lewis, Mr WARD said the item £1000 for the promotion of the sale of New Zealand produce in the United Kingdom and other markets was intended to effect an extension of m_- kets for the produce of the colony. Mr MASSEY thought if 'be D--pirtment •was to be of any use to the colony ,the agent in London should furnish for publication in the newspapers quotations of the prices of staple produce of the colony. Mr PIRANI believed if a proper officer were appointed a great deal of good work could be done in the interests of the colony. He considered that the quotations for flaac should be regularly obtained, and that a flax grader should be appointed. Mr T. MACKENZIE urged that if the products of the colony were to be introduced into new markets, agents must be sent out over the world whose duty it would be to bring their produce under notice. The total vote was passed without amendment. Class 5, Post and Telegraph Department, £407,276. Mr WARD said that opportunity would, apart from the item on the Estimates, be given for discussing the vote for the San Francisco mail service. • Mr T. MACKENZIE moved that the vote of £17,000 for the maintenance of telegraph and telephone lines should be reduced by £1 as "an indication tita, the telephone system should be extended more generally in the country districts. Mr WARD said the policy of the Department was to extend in a reasonable way telephone accommodation, but many most unreasonable applications were made which could not be acceded to. The motion was lost by 37 votes to 19, and the total vote was passed unaltered. Class 6, Customs and Miirine Department, £89,005, was then taken. (Left sitting at 2 a^m.)