NOTES. OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 550, 3 July 1909, Page 4

NOTES. OF THE DAY.

■,- •'• 1 -. ■ ■ -. i .: —- i .■,.:..■■. Thr interesting letter published in this issue, from.Tβ Banoihieoa, M.P;, the remember of the Native race for the; Northern Maori --District/.-: • may be takeii as evidence that the; meiobere of the Native race have in their ranks represpntatiyes. well able to hold . their own with' their European countrymen. Tβ RAifaiHißbA, who 18 -bettcif known as De. Buck, assails with some skill a recent correspondent to TiiiJ DoMiMon who mado. protest against tho locking-up of Native- lands and the State-coddling of the Maori race. Dr. Buck, however, writes iindor a misapprohoneioni Hb.appoars to imagine that those who are pfo« testing agftihSt tho locking-tip, of .Native lands, to the : dutHlri(!nt. of .the: interests of thewhbld'cburttfy, tfistto do the Natives iniUstitc. Nothing is further fr'brii their thoughts.,"The righte.bf the'Mttoi'i I'acft 4rd fUlls , ;;fd66sn'iEiic!-they .hdve Men is&fcid wito eonAldfiifttiaa la

tho past; they havo received privileges and concessions which havo boon denied to Europeans. They have escaped taxation; they havo been pprmittoa to hold hiigo areas of land which they did not occupy and which remained Unproductive; they have blocked settlomeiiti and tho result wo sco in the Bhapp of'settlers leaving the country to look elsewhere for tho Iflhd which they cannot obtain in New 2ealand. It is ti'uo that this condition of things has in pii't bedn brought about by the refusal of tho State to permit tho Natives freedom to sell tneir lands; but the fact remains that tho Dominion is sufforing now from tho •■policy, pursued in tho past. The time has _ arrived when a Change. is imperatively accessary; No one wishes to rob the Natives. No one wishes to injure them. No one wishes to do anything lnore than to make thorn share the responsibilities' lyhitili are at present bdrhe by theit Eui'bpoan fellow-citizens. The Maori should Uo taxdd as-the Eurorjean , Iβ taxed. Hd should not bo, pormitted f to •allow his millions of acres of laud to lie idle afld ■ Unproductive—wheii selUers are clatnouriiig'for laud and Unable, to got it—any more than the white would be allowed to. Let him have the. rights of the European, give, him all tho privileges of the white population i. but let him share also their responsibilities. Tho country cannot., afford : this coddling which looks up from settlement tho huge areas, of Native land.- Dn, Bute need not fear tinjustico to\ the Native rado f but he must concodo justico to the , country as a' whole. 1 .; <'-, ;' ■ '■'.'[ .;'"_; ;■'■■.'.

' ;■ The meeting' of ". citizens called by ihe ilaybr for last Evening with, the'object of assisting the. unemployed was not bo satisfactory as "it, , might have been. .This appears in a lairgo measure to.havo been due to the attitude and; conduct of .the. member for' the Butt, Me. ; T; M. Wiir foed. After reading, this gentlomans fomarks the city will probably dongfatu:late.itself dn the escape 1 it was. fortunate enough to experience in the defeat/of, MS; WiiiFOKD; for the 'Mayoralty. It has seldom been 'the lot of; the' public; of: Wellington toVwitnesa in,>ny of its pub-, lid men s6 transparent an exhibition of "playing tq the gallery," and ; suoh flagrant flouting of common.sense.and good taste. Instead of attempting '■ to assist those who. had gathorddin' worthy, attempt to 1 endeavour to relieve ther exisk ing distress and solve a; difficult problem, bd sdisied this Occasion to. indulge in_ wild and inflammatory talk calculated'to aiitagoniso lovon ihtm in|iSt; d6siroUß of hclpiag fdr'Ward , thfe inioyemont. To shout id one hfeath that "those put of work did" not waiit Sympathy, or'charity: they wanted work,/'"and, in tho next, to toclare that ''if there was not work enough to employ men full time and pay full let them pay full wages for five days a week; instbadv of six/': may apbear to Me. Wiuroni)' quite logical .Una. pi'dpefrb'tit is hardly, rthe.Wfl-y- to stimu* lafcb the public to putrthe'ir ;hands iti their pockets for the benefit of ,these men.. Nor will his endbfsemdht df the policy that "no wotk is better than'h'iilf a loaf sorve their purpose.' any hotter, in-, torjections during jthe. proceedings donot require commenti.... Eutt electors may. judge for : themsolves how well o* ill thoir ■fncmber represented them last Evening. 'It is satisfactory to note ; that some , ;:. dennite- decisibrie wenevari'iVed: at by _ the 'taeetiflgr^fifl-'/thßi , * hope of efimeth ;ing 'bding' done quickly to asaifet^the^ UnMftunftte pe.ople"out of wpftv W6 bMH be glad tb'ijpdh' a. list as requested by -the ,niedting.v J!or past wo'fhaVe been. rtceiving" aiia. distributing amongst those : in greatest heed .gifts-iiofj.cldthing. andji money, forwarded to' : ThU .Dominion ofhee...' ,by :. generous' hearted citizens in ■ town.: and; countryj and many families have/ already.;■• boeii helped inthiß.wayi>7'- r: r':/' ; !'■. ;'o ;'•.-. ■

: "The question of travelling expense is being carefully. considered, by Cabindt,?,. remarked'the ACriNQrPbiME.MiN-: isTEß.yesterday, to-. ;;•■• add,. Be addqd that a big. saving would; be,made in this' respect. The;saying, it ; may. be addedi relates:to the. unnecessary .travel-, line indulged in by Civil' Servants. How. much: could be: saved I, The Aoting-Prime Minister dould -not say< It would probably, run into thousands! of pqiinds por : aiv nuiii; This should n>ako. pleasant rcafr ing'-tb .tiixpa^rs , . ; A iavieg of .tndiisands of pounds pbr ■'annuiii; .in: •Unnecessary travelling ■ expenses .ishoiild'. mean '!the: felease, dfa'corr.espondiiig atodttnt fto the construction of roads and iii the back-blocks, the' survey and : opening ,up' 6f neWslaiid for settlers, or;.: any; 6thdr'of; the 'multitude 'of muckiiedded' works reduired in tho development; o;f th 6 country's' resources. ■ But ■■ there; .is ;a matter which has not • yet beenmentioned : : by him which we .would .commend, to,; the AeriNO-JEiilg 'MiNis'TEii's: ...aotice.:':';.The : country irill applaud' the saving ( indicated above proposed ; to be made by niß Government, but it may: why tne economy should stop at the Oivil Servants. Why,: .should Cnot: /Ministers ooonomißean.the.;saniG .way:?. It,|las liOt been considered necessary in the, retrenchment proposals of the;■.Qbyernment.;. to do moire than attack the, Oiyil.f&cryicoj ■Ministor'B were not reduced inmumbers, and their Salaries wero' not in the' manner pursued; by GdVernmenti ■ But while may hot see their -way to cut' dd«ri thßlr own salaries, there/eafl be' fib possible excuse for them maifitai.ning, tiieit old extravagances. It has been one 6f the' scandals Of bur public life, that for Vcars past tho country; has had to ; bear -a/burden fun-: hing intp thousands of founds per annum because , of the practice, of Ministera rushing to all parts of the Dominion; speeoh'-making, ■. banfluetingj ; electioneering,' attending Natives tangiS) and on al-. most' every conceivable protest neglect-, irig their administrative , duties at Wellington. No one, *6uld; deny. Ministers the right tti moVe about asi occasion' really' reduired, but the to- which -this riishingi around Has be6n carried out is not niei'ely a scandal on •.'account of the neglect of pmco duty involved,'/but- by reason of the fact that it beeii dotio at the expense of the public—a .grp&s waste of public' money/ The ; Aotujq-', Pbiub MiNiaraa'B on .thiß.aap'ectof. the rotrenchnient pohoy. would be lnfcarestirig'and;, timely./;-, ;■;.■;..' /■.'■:„:?

- ; ■''■■.■ ■' ':■■'■' i- ■• ;■■> ■ ■■•■ • ■ •'(' '■■■''•'■■; : ' De. FtNDtAy Is,'',t6 be\ coinftteaded for his. carricst attention to;thb; question; of prison reform. wSitico 'ho assumed the charge of the Justice pep&rtmcntj he has iriade it oviderit/tliat ho, has tttkfen his re-: fepoßsibiiities ill i'elation to -tlio prison methods of ..the , country" very sofibUßlyi ; and there is Wod fbasqn i to hope that his efforts! will' bo produotivo of boncficiar results.' His/latest, idea: to' ostablisa.a reformatory, in the fcountry whero prisoners not yet'/hardened in crime may be weafied from their; ovil Ways and'trainod in farm pursuits, so that thoy may ■•even-. tually> develop into the class of worker' this country most requires, is an admirable one in theory. , and should offer no serious difficulties in carrying out. Tho Minister7docs:.not supply details, of : the Bchcmc, /but the idea: has rnhch. to commend it. . Dr. Findlav has boon;fortunate ill securing thd services . of -/the'" , Rijv. James .i'Kayld as visiting; advisor to the Prieons. Department, ■ Tho .ro.v. gontloraah has hiado a stiidy of the science of crimlnologVi and,-'-in , , addition, tea pructicai'knowledge of prison- life,'has been for''years in close cpmmuniciition With moA' 6f the' loading cfiminologiats in Eiigl&nd and the' United Status, His book, "A Plea for the;Criininttli" 1 whioh ,Ua roriewod, by Tiifl ' DUiliHiOK WBW.

months ngo,<6ot out clearly tlie present-; day view, taken by those who have given fcho subject most consideration, of the proper attitude of the Stato towards tho criminal. "Tho endeavour-'df tnie book," lie wrote, "will bo to show that the best interests of Society are not served by the infliction of'punishmcilts Which are CSV liotitially Jtfnal, btit by the ; accoinplißh' mofifc of the feform Of .the. criminal." How tiiifJ ii) to be gone about is shown .iii tho book. While complimenting the Minister on this attitude toWiirds prison rcforni) and on tho appointment:of Mr. Kayljj, wo regrot that wo must express, our strongest dißappi'Gyal df his refusal to pornaifc a full and free inquiry into the ittito df tho Police Force.■■•■lt_ is idk for him to pretend that by shutting out all !■ inquiry , into* tho cases of men who havo ! nightly or wrongly been disftijsscd from the Force Of who loft it of their , own accord during tho past three' years, he i& not lifaiting the scopo'of the inquiry in a direction whfire' inquiry is most needed. The public cannot have ebnfidencearj tlie findings of a Conirnißsiori which- ifi prev ventou by. tho order of rofbrenco. from making tho searching investigation which fecent, disclosures have shown to .be bo imperatively neceßsaryi'■:'. If there is ,nor thing to conceal). .Why shirk , investiga- >. ; : '.■■■ ; ;- -■' ■■■■■.- '■ ; ■ ■"■'■•'■■■■■ '•