PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 72, 22 September 1906, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

■■ . » yesterday's sittings, legislative" council. The Legislative Council continued sitting after the Post went to press yesterday. The Hon. T. K. Macdonald gave notice to move that busts of all the Pvemieis should bo placed in prominent places within the walls of Parliament, ana that it was desirable to liavo busts, photographs, or portraits of all the Premiers since 1856 placed in conspicuous positions in tho International Exhibition. The Valuation of Land Act Amendment Bill (Mr. KirkbridcJ and a number of local Bills were received from the Lfouse, and reod a firaO time. ■Ths Napier Harbout Board Exchange of Lands Empowering Bill and the Motor Regulation (No. 2) Bill (Attorney-Gene-ral) were also lead a first time^ HABITUAL CRIMINALS. Tho Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Habitual Criminals and Offenders Bill, which had pasesd the House. He explained that a simirla, Bill had been passd By tho NewSouth Wales Parliament, and one lesult, according to the Commissioner of < Police, had been to drive hardened criminals to New Zealand. The measure was designed to reform tho criminal, however, and h& would be 'prepared to receive any amendments that might improve the The Hon. J. Rigg v/as glad the Attor-ney-General rocognised the Bill was ai good one. Wo were- going in^the wrong direction in dealing 'with our crimina's. In connection witn criminals two things had to be considered — environment nnd heredity. Necessity' ha 4 also to be taken into account. Tho State did not; recognise that it wai its duty to provide employment for the people. The Government should try and remove tho causes that lead to the creation of criminals, and so diminish tho number of criminals. He quoted a case which had come- under hia notice in Wellington to show that poverty was a fruitful source of trouble which fed to crime. Our repressive system of dealing •with crime had been a failure. He referred to the Almira Reformatory dn America, and approved of the methods adopted at that institution. Tho Bill did not go all the. length ho wished, bub it was a well-meant attempt .to deal with a very difficult question, and he supported it. The Hons. T. Kelly, W. Beehan, and W- 0. Smith also spoke. The second Teading was agreed to on the voices. HOROWHENUA BLOCK. The Horo-n-henua Block Act Amendment Bill, introduced in the "House, was committed, reported without amendment, and read a third time. PAYMENT Off JURORS. The Payment of Jurors Bill also passed through committee, and was read a third time.- „ The Council 1 , roso at 4.15 p.m. ■ HOUSE (^REPRESENTATIVES. THE ESTIMATES. At 3 o'clock yesterday ofternfion tho House went into Connnitteo of Supply to furtuer conaia« th« Estimates. When tho committ«e reported progress on. the Estimates on the previous Friday evening, tho Native Department (class X-) \vaa under consideration. At yesterday's sitting there was some further dis--cussion of items, but eventually the whole vote, £18,867 (£35,338 was last year's total expenditure), w.s passed unaltered. Justice Department, £131,345 (£132,374). Mr. Wilford moved that the amourit of tho first item, £<JSO for tho Offichl Assignee, Auckland, be reduced by £1, the object of the motion being to express dissatisfaction with tho department. After a dfseuasion, the- motion was lost on the voices, and tho bankruptcy item (£3763) went through. The Lender of tho Opposition criticised tho position of magistrates under the existing condition of things. He- moved to hare the item of £52,500 for District, Magistrates', and Wardens' Courts re duced by £1_ aa an indication that the House considered the position of magistrates insecure. llr. Batime also condemned the unsatisfactory conditions under which magisI tratcs are placed. Tho motion was also supported by Mr. Malcolm. Mr. Hogg considered thore wos no justification fer the motion. A- similar proposal was brought forward erory lime the Estimates were under consideration. Some members of the Housa wanted the magistrates to be placed in tho position of autocrat*. Several other members spoke, and a division was colled. The motion was defeated by 44 votes to 18. A proposal to, reduce the item of £4600 for coronera by £1 as an indication that the time had come when coroners' juries should be abolished, was defeated by 47 yotea to 14. The debatt, on the qu&xtion is reported elsewhere in this issue. The next item was a vote of £1725 for the Cook Islands Administration. This gave Mr. Massey an opportunity to nttack the policy of tho Government in allowing the schooner Countess of Ranfurly to be employed carrying black labour on behalf of a Melbourne firm from Niue to Mawen Island. The matter has been referred to in the House on previous occasions. Mr. JJfossey declared that the schooner should be disposed of if she, could not be put to some better use. The Minister for Justice, who is jn charge x>i the administration ol the Islands, replied at considerable length. The steamer was employed for purposes bther than that referred to by the Leader of tho Opposition, but he agreed that if the otoanrer could not be employed for a better purpose than carrying black labour, she should he sold. He would make it his business to go fully into the matt«r. T.ho Hon. O. H. Mills, who was previously in charge- of the- administration of th« Wands, defended the existing condition of things, but stated that they could not b» too cautious. A discussion on prisons and prison methods followed. The Hon. A. R. Guinness (Grey) advocated the relaxation of a regulation which prevented warders marrying until they had been two years -in the service. Mr. Laurenson olio condemned certain prison regulations — one in particular-: that providing that lighta were to be out from 7 or 8 p.m. in tho evening. This meant thftb a prisoner wis in a tjnrfc ce ]j for abou_fc twelve hours Mr. Hftgg staled that he had seen a gang of prisoners being marched across Lnmbton-quay the other day at 10 o'clock, in, the morning. "Barbarou*," interjectod Mr..Hornsby. Mr. Ell moved that tho item £6000 for prison camps be reduced by £1 as an indioatidn that all gaols and prison camps should be outside the citios. The motion was defeated by 14 votes. The yote was passed at 11.20 and the House adjourned. '