DESTITUTE PERSONS BILL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 893, 12 August 1910, Page 6

DESTITUTE PERSONS BILL

V ; VIEWS, OF HON- 0. SAMUEL. Tho Hon. 0. SAMUEL (Taranakj) con» tinued, his. speech .on tho. second .reading of tho Destitute. Persons . Bill* aud prooeeded to' compare, tho new proposals with the old Act insofar as they related to affiliation cases.' - He thought tho Bill should make it clear that no maintenance' order should be made' in,any caso unless P l ' that tho defendant t had sufficient means to pay.' : It would bo undesirable to depart from the wholesome principle of casting the onus of proof on tho informant in affiliation cases. Many' of the clauses in the Bill went too far, in the speaker s opinion, ami he proceeded : to give at length his idea of what amendments were requisite.: In. conclusion, ho trusted that the Attorney-General would look upon offenders under this Act in the eame spirit in which ho had approached the consideration of offenders against the criminal law. The .■ Attorney-General might remember that there was probably 5° so deserving, of pity as those dealt with m this measure. The. Hon. J. Ij. SINCLAIR-(Otago) was of opinion' that the Bill was a valuable one, and would undoubtedlv bo of immense, benefit .The present law was, far from and Parliament must consiaer how much further it could' be earned without interfering with tho '. Jlb . e ™ e ?,: a nd rights of the people. . *i, i? 'fP O ' Conncil adjourned, on the motion of the Hon. J. B. C'allan.