LATE DOMINION NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 25 January 1911, Page 2

LATE DOMINION NEWS.

FERTILITY OF THE UNFIT. A NATIONAL PROBLEM. PER UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. DUNEDIN, Jan. 24. Hon. Dr Findlay (Attorney-General), in a lecture on "Urbanisation and National Decay, before the Eugenics Society to-night, said in connection with the fertility of the unfit that the modern tendency of drift to the towns was largly accountable. Nearly 77 per cent.. of tne population of Britain lived in cities and towns. In New Zealand four years ago the rural population exceeded the borough population, but to-day the position was reversed. In all the large cities the birth-rate was maintained mainly by the least fit. In the poorer part of Berbn there were 214 children to every 1000 married women ; in the richest parts, 121. in London the difference was about the same. He desired to mark three things: (1 ) That the birth-rate was dwindling fastest in the cities; (2) that the reduced rate was chiefly maintained by the fertility of the least lit; (3) that'the population of New Zealand was steadily drifting to the towns and cities. The prospect justified a bold statement that for them the future meant either eugenics or extinction. One family of defectives, in all its brandies prolific, would in a few years cost us in asylums, gaols and homes some £20,000. Two imbecile girls had produced lo illegitimates, and every one of these would be dependent during the whole of their lives on the State for every-1 thing, including ultimate burial. Among the suggested eugenic remedies! was a new marriage law which would prevent juvenile marriages specifically. The State should cardinally aim (1) to keep people on the land; (2) to enforce and assist the most approved method of town-planning. Land for settlement must be found and country life must be made more attractive. If this country was to rise to greatness it must check the agents of degeneration and promote those that would improve the physical and mental qualities of the people. DESTITUTE PERSONS ACT. AN IMPORTANT DECISION. WELLINGTON, Jan. 24. An important decision under the Destitute Persons Act. 1910, was delivered by Dr McArthur, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court this morning. Jennie D. Martin had complained that her husband, Henry Nicholas Martin, had failed, and intended to fail, to provide her with adequate means of maintenance. Evidence showed that defendant had been unsuccessful in business matters, and had sunk considerable sums of money in his property and living. At the present time he was still in debt, and without employment; There were no children of the'marriage. "Under these set of circumstances," ! said the magistrate, "can I make a ; maintenance order?" In answering I [this question I am bound bv the Des-j titute Persons Act, 1910, A destitute j j person is defined in that Act as any j person unable, whether permanently or i I temporarily, to support himself by' his! j own means of labor. I think complain-1 | ant does not come under that defini-i | tion, inasmuch as she is a capable' | housekeeper and has been in employ-j j ment as a clerk in an office. Now sec-! : tion 17, subsection 0, says, 'unless a. ! j magistrate is satisfied that the wife is j a destitute person no maintenance or- j j dor shall he made against the husband! in favor of the wife if it is proved that) {the husband is not of sufficient ability j jto contribute to her maintenance.' In! I my opinion, complainant, the wife, is I I not a destitute person, and it has been j : proved that her husband is not of suffi-| I cicnt ability to contribute to her main-, 1 | teuaiicc, should differ at any time be-; | cause of sufficient ability to contribute, j a maintenance order will be made in the ; ordinary manner." ; DEFAULTING HUSBANDS. jIIFXIPKOCLTY WITH AUSTRALIA. | DUNEDIN, Jan. 24. j Dr Kindlay (Minister for Justice) I was questioned this evening in reference to a Melbourne cable which conveyed an intimation that Mr Holmaii, Attorney-fieneral for New South Wales. ; hoped as a result of a conversation with | i)i- Findlay to establish reciprocity re- ; garding defaulting husbands. He stati crl that he had discussed the matter I with Mr Holman when he was in New i Zealand, and he had readily expressed ; his willingness to endeavor to have reI ciprocal legislation contemplated by the New Zealand Destitute Persons Act placed upon the New South Wales stat-ute-book. The provisions of our Act at present were wholly in favor of the Australian States. They provided that husbands deserting their wives in Australia and coming to New Zealand could be, proceeded against here upon a certificate of judgment obtained by a wife in one or other of the Australian courts. This would enable a deserted wife in New South Wales to take proceedings there against her husband, who had deserted her and come to New Zealand, and obtain an order against him there without trouble or expense, and the order would then be sent over and filed in one of the courts here and be made the basis of a judgment against the defaulting husband in New Zealand unless he could show that it should not have been made in New South Wales. "We put that on our statute-book," said Dr Findlay, "with a view to reciprocal provisions being placed on the statute-book in all Australian States, and 1 have already reason to believe that the reciprocal provisions will be made at the earliest convenient time. Mr Holman readily approved of our law-"

MEETING OF CABINET. IMPORTANT AUTHORISATIONS. WELLINGTON, Jan. 21. A very large amount of business \va>transacted by Cabinet to-day, the total authorisations under the different leadings being: Roads, £14,600; railways. £10,672; bridges, £4550. Among ti>e road votes authorised the most important were £IOOO for the PongaroaWaione road, £I3OO on a £1 for £1 subsidy for the Pukekawa road. Raglan, £750 for the Gisborne-Tologa Bay road, and £ISOO for the various roads to open up blocks in the Stratford district. Under the headings of railways there was an authorisation of £762 for the Midland railway and authorisations totalling £BSOO on'the Kaiwaka, Biokerstaff and Otamatea sections of the North of Auckland line. It was decided to call for tenders for the "Big Hill" tunnel on the Law-rence-Roxburgh railway and for workers' cottages and huts on the Kaiwaka(.'raliamstown railway route. Tenders are also to be invited for the Mokau River bridge at Kahawera Road. On account of the new buildings at the Hermitage. Mount Cook, there was an authorisation of £6OO. The erection of a new chapel and workshop at the Inveroargill gaol was approved. Hie installation of an experimental plant at the Thames School of Mines at a cost of £275 was authorised. It was decided to call for tenders lor cartage work for the State coal department in Wellington for a period of 12 months. THE PRIME MINISTER. a nr.sv WEEK. WELLINGTON, Jan. 21. The Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, has received: quite a number of requests to deliver political addresses in different places. On Thursday morning he will leave Wellington for the North in order to keep several such engagements. Leaving by the 7.15 a.m. train, he will reach Stratford in time to speak in the evening in response to a special invitation. 'Friday will be spent in visiting Kaponga and Inglewood and meeting residents there, New Plymouth being reached in the evening. Sir .Joseph will address a gathering there also, and the same night will leave by steamer for Onehunga. At the special request of the residents lie will speak at Devonport on Saturday night. Sunday and .Monday will be spent in Auckland, and on ' Monday evening the Prime Minister will attend a banquet to be given in connection with the Mining Engineers' Conference. Altogether the Prime Minister, will be away from Wellington for a little over a weekA BOOKSHOP RAID. DUNEDIN, Jan. 24. Three detectives raided a bookseller's shop to-day and seized a quantity of literature which is alleged to be of an indecent nature. The police are reticent in regard to the matter, but a copy of a bublioatiou taken, which is in book form, will probably be submitted to the Attorney-General, who will decide whether a prosecution will follow or not. it is understood that the book has command of a fairly large sale. ours EXPORTS. WELLINGTON. Jan. 2'. The I'ollotviu'j; (iguivs >.! i ,\\ I'k' value of the principal products exported I'rom the Dominion during the period i'rom January 1 to 15:—Butter, £158.523; cheese. £91.305; beef, frozen. {;987o; mutton, frozen carcases. 1:43.398: mutton, frozen legs and pieces, £2239; lamb, frozen, £91,083; wheat, £l6: oats, £l4; potatoes, £SO: hemp. £12,895; rabbits, £44-15; tow. £043: kauri gum. £10,229; grain and pulse, other .than wheat and oats, £l6; Imps, £ls: hides, £5831; skins, £18.601; tallow. £25,359; timber. £6717: wool, £5-15.-14:5; gold, £62,485. The total is £l.i 038,964, compared with £1..'M1.763 for the corresponding period of 1910. OLD MAN'S DEATH. REEFTON, Jan. 24. j An old man named John Dcilow. ! long connected with the Bailor punt, fell ill at Inaiigahua Junction, and died • while being conveyed to Heeiton. Deceased was said to be the first male child born in Nelson province.