PRESS OPINIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 50, 22 November 1907, Page 11

PRESS OPINIONS.

■ : ' "REFORMATORY DISCIPLINE. It is easy for philanthropists with kindly feelings,.but with little actual experience iu the matter of dealing with, some of the most difficlllt social problems of tho day, to picturA an ideal honie in which tho moral pariahs of thftrCoinnitoity aho.uld' be treated with the mdst'teiuler solicitude, and reclaimed entirely by-means of kindness—never hearing a harsh word aud never subjected to'anything iii the shapei of punishment. Wo very, much fear, hoWever, that if these . benevolent persons wore given full control of an institution like Te Oranga they would find their ideas, how over.excollent in theory, very difficult.to work out m; practice. \Vo doubt ifth'ey full,realise the kind of material that has to be dealt with; iii the establishment under notice. iflSp.iß Ao use in blinking the truth. The bulk of.ithe/girle jifo deplorable from a moral point if view. They arc so bad that the ordinary industrial schools can do nothing with them:.... .We do not like tho idea of strapping girls), but if experience has shown tbat.ci6rpbral punishment is necessary in the worn;of tile cases dealt with at Te Oranga, we should say it would be mistaken kindness to withhold it. When we find the hair-cut-' ting •dellOUfice-d'as "mutilation"' and ""aii atrocity,.'. it seems to us that lmmanitaria'nism_.hasß crossed the borderline of hysterics. While .we fully believe in the public keeping a watchful eye on our institutions and promptly resenting any.abuse, it scorns to .us that care should be taken to ascertain the facts.:cofreef ly : before mak'ing ,an attack. Otherwise there,is a danger of ' taking/the heart.ont of thofie responsible for the conduct WvtheSejnstitutiohs, impairing discipline slid ruining, efficiency. The best proof as to the satisfactory character of the. system pursued at.Tfc Oranglis the fact that so many of the • giris; /startnig from such a hopeless begin- ' Wpl'F?. and restored to an honest And respectable'mode of. living. It vronld be add that,,'in our opinion,- tho Mimeter, Mr; ITowlds, aeservtse. credit for • Btaliding b£ ah officer who.has been unjustly "Press." , urges, asaii: objectioni to our demand, that the inquiry into tbd.'manage?lnn ■ i ■ 'Burnham School, cost-between £500; and £700 without rovealihg ■ anything wroag, and,that an inquiry into the managemetiipf Tβ urangSi Home iiiigb/ cost as much • ■ ftndjfgive. a; similiar'result. But-surely the : upon an.unnecessary inquiry. isJnot.'.going' to Jstjp all further investigation lSto.\th'e management of oiir public institu- , tions. The. inquirj into the management of Home need not cost sis hundred shillings.'; Mr. Fowlds himself has given us already-ihuch of the information we required. Be.has shbiTn us that the methods of punishment ;,are.; absolute!* brutal. Now vre want to/know.whether the unhappy sufferers have any'appeal, from th>6enten6es of the manager,'and whether the floggings are administhey wero in tho gaols, under medical supervision.. We want, to know whether' thejiHpina.ie. freely add rcgulaHy inspected byy;women,'orwhether the inspection is left • to'jthe'officials in. Wellington. -Wo want .to knbw-.WhM.efforts.are being made to classify and protect v those that are.conirtttw3.:ffoif comparatively -.'trilling offnnces from'icontanrrnationi. and we want to know what; prtjiortipn of the girls appear to have been; restored to a useful. position in .life. All;:theßepifti6ularl. could be obtained by a cfttttasflionei like Sir. H.-W. Bishop in a sin^te':afternoon, and they: would enable us to?judge at once,what need there is for reform. .'.;lf the other revelations were as stnriling;, as admissions that have been mado Minister, the public "could bb trusted to ao;.the.fesfc;—Ly.tteltpn''Times.' , , ,• ~ ; .be readily., imagined that at Te wanga;;where the inmates have so unruly a , chaiiidtef • to" sifstaiii; Severe*.i disciiilihi is an ■ hone; the lessj We do ( not;think many. PfSople wUI seriously contend that/the; flogging 6f girls ,is under inV circumstances, defensible , ; or likely'to be Valuable in,, assisting to 6ffeet.%.r*Eomatkwvof the recipients.i.of..the:'ptfmsßSien67"" Sβ. Fendall citea;:tlie,case'T>fr'a' - girh,'rß,b6ut 20 years of age, fjfho, .apparently .because she attempted tp.'run;; away ffqffi ,Tfe Oranga. Wai* said to have incurred- : BS,'fi piinishment 'the Toss, of her hair and'to Ifcavo. received flashing of 12 strokes on practically; a bare.b'ack." We are not quite prepared.to,follow.Mr. Laurenspn.or Mr. Ell in.;.their.:-6o'inewhat" denunciation of" as a m6tliod of correction. ■We.-sfe/niSt deeplj , cognisant' of. the effectiveness of:-this'form of discipline, nor are we in ajjposition, to say whether it is such as to justify its use or .not, but at least It is ; not to be claßsedlwith the flogging of girls as a repugnantipractice. It is possible'that in the preWnt <fftSe"the facts have unwittirtgly distorted', i But as the severity of the discipline exorcised', at Oranga Home has apparently beim the.subject of some prior complaint and OTOicism,'.it may be really desirable that the matter, should now be ventilated. The allegations that have been made call for a reply, ■ arid,. we trust that the Minister of Education :will: furnish, all the enlightenment . which'jie desirable on,the subject. It is difli-•Jiufc.-.tti beliovo that the flogging of girls in the mahnflrodoscribed by Mr. Foiidall can take place ;atTe Oranga *ith fho sanction of the Department concerned, arid if it has been employed afa forrii of corp'oritl jiuriishriient Eolely.at the discretion of the manager of the H&irift/ that: discretiori. may with distinct advantage'.be'limited.—"Otagd' Daily Times."

OFFICE): , We-have frequently urged that the time j}»S;'afrived for its_ complete fe-organisatioii. The'.exjteiise is steadily niouiitiiig up.' According ; to.the return presented to the Legislative Council on.Mr.. Macdouald's motion, it afipeirs that the staff now. numbers twentyand, .'including the travelling expenses of/ the Higß Commissioner, the total cost of tho-.Gffice last : year was £9032. The High Commissioner himself receives £2000 a year -Tflioreithan the Prime Minister, of the Dominion or tho Chief Justice; the secretary, Mr Kenaiway, "£800; and the Produce; Conimis-Sionai-.'.Mr.'H. C. Cameron, £425. We do not -say :'any of these salaries are excessive -%.rtainly not the ]ast-'nam'6cl, but we are quite oleftr, that the Dominion is not deriving tlie a'«?ant4ge§ from the High Commissioner's Office/which it-Has a right to dxpect. Mr. Reeves, in some respects, has filled the office exceedingly.' well. . His literary skill has stood him-jin good'Et«ad when it became necessary 'to,: defend either the Dominion, or more frequenttytlle •06mmi6h's G6vernnient, from attacks in the Press/ Hβ is an admirableaftcrdinacr'sppjiker, and in any public function in which' M hits' has 'represented Nett Zealand with aWity a'hd' oredit. Residents of the' Dominion visiting England, who have put. themselves in touch' with Mr. Reeves, hare.ahrays fourid him extremely courteous, and;bf' his assistance haVe been enabled to see ritany' things of interest which otherwise they might have missed. But Mr. Reeves is not a| man, of;business, and the High CommisBioners Office is not tho centre of commer-cial-enterprise iiiid activity which it should is to bo dono in London to tjiis Domminn ahd its expanding industries. "Press." We Hon. W. P. Reeves has done excellent w0 ? k ..,«/- ?*ew Zealand, and continues to represjat us ;yer.t capably, but every year is carrying him further away from colonial thoilgtit. Tho International Exhibition oft'ored himah admirahle opportunity of revisiting New .Zealand, and, if hd had spent nine months • or'. a year in onr midst ho would Kavereturnod thoroughly conversant with the existing conditions.- Wβ agree with Mr. Macdonild that the High Commissioner should not'.continue in office longer than five years without making a prolonged visit to tho T)o----nunipn, and we have no doubt that Mr Kcevos ; himself would admit the wisdom of siicb'. an arrangement If it were Suggested to him. As for his staff, it is rtally absurd that th,b;:,managemout of onr affairs in London should bo in tho hands of.men wh6 have ho persp.ial knWledge of tho country. There arovplcnty of capable officials in New Zealand who would .be glad to be transferred to tho London office for a five-year period, and common sense suggests that vacancies that occur onr the High Commissioner's staff should bo nlled'as far as possible from this Dominion — "Lytfcelton Times.".