IN THE HOUSE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 19 August 1910, Page 5

IN THE HOUSE.

ITEMS FROM PARLIAMENT. W..AT MEM REUS ARK SAYING. VAIiIOIS IIFPORTS. THE DRUNKARD'S REFORM. (By Telegraph.) (From Our rarliameutary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, This Day. When the Ha.bitual Drunkards Act was passed it was not contemplated that a large number of the persons subject tojl-s p.ro\ isiuns wotdd be cured of the drinking ha.bil,. It was admitted tha.t the plan of •scuidilug these unfortunate people- to gaol for short periods was a failure. Thev simply ca.me out and became derelicts again." It was thought that bv sweeping these derelicts, off the street 'and placing them in healthy surroundings for at Feast a year they would have a chance of reforming themselves. ••I believe the experiment, so far as it ha.c none, has been fairly success ful. and I have in .my possession a number of letters from ex-iumatcs. who speak well of the treatment they have received and of tne benelit they have derived from their at ay in the home. At all events, while in the home they are properly oared for. and, to put it ■on the lowest ground, it costs le-s to keep them hi a him e than in a gaol.*' , CANT'EENS. According to a statement made in the Holism yesterday afternoon by -Mr. T. E. Taylorr." the opinion has. been given by tht Crown Law ollieers to the effect that the clause in the Defence Act of last year with regard to canteens is operative a.nd consequently liquor may be kopt in the orderly room and drill sheds of the Dominion. The matter, he naid, was viewed with a considerable amount of alarm in Timaru. 'in view of what had roti'iitly happened there. The clear iinIcnihni' of tlie House last session, lie urged, should he put beyond doubt. The Minister for Edueail -ion. who rcp!id! to the statement, wild that he had not heard of an npinio.u being n-ivert that liquor would be permitted Ln t-anipi* while cadets would congregate for military training. He would put the matter before the Minister of Defence. Pie had n.o doubt a,u amendment, if necessary, would bo introduced to make the forte utit.n if the House effective. UNDER THE BROAD ARROW. rill SONS AND THEIR INMATES. Whilst there was a slight increasie in the number of prisoners received in the p:!-oiis of the Dominion for the lastyear. Mr. V. Wald-t-grave. Under-Secre-tary for Justice, in his annual report, states the increase is no more than might be expected from the natural growth of population. The number of prisoners received, with previous convictions ,however, .shows, he adils. that- it is neees-,-:;iy to pay more attention to the reformative -side of the .piri-'-on system. Reviewing the position of the various gaols, he points, out that more rapid progress is needed with the construction of the new wing of the Auckland gaol to relieve and a. .separate bnildinig fo.r women will be needed before long. The utilisation of prison labour at Lyttelton in a more useful a.nd lucrative nnanner will be effected, while at the s.a.me time avoiding com pet it ion with free la.bour. .At J)ii.ii.eduir thev were, faced with the same dillieuitv. Inverc.irgiU's promised to be -1 he most useful gaol. Arrangements had bee,n made wiili the Borough Conm il for the reclamation by prison labour of over 200 acre.?. 'The Napier gaol was. the Undersecretary declares, the worst in Now Zealand. II occupied a beautiful site which could be utilised to much better advantage. If wa.s inconvenient and in parts liitsa-iiiUwy, and. there were, no proper means of carrying out even a rudimentary system of classification. The only emplnym" lit available was- work in a corporation quarry, a.nd as. a. limited quantity of metal was required the qiu'.rry work wa.s carried' out neither eon.vruieintly nor ci onoinu ally. As soon a:s a.-.-6::>niod,it.ioii for the present inmates could be found elsewhere, the Napier g.i-il should be closed. The land, could be cut a.nd utilised for building sates, as a -mall police gaol for short-seutoaeed t.(fenders would meet all requirements. TREE PLANTING. The Ky.-tem of utilising prison labour i>.v tree planting had. the Under-Sec-nia.ry .remarks., passed beyondt the experi uLeinta.l stage, a.nd must" be admitted to be a. humane a.nd rational method of giving prisoners, a chance to alter their mode of life. The work had both a moral and an economic value. At- the three- camps over 31, million trees were planted la-s-t year . in addition to much other general work. Tlie chief difficulty wits to keep the uamjis u.p to their strength. Not every prisoner was suitedfor ramp life, where, discipline was necessarily not 5,,, .strict at* in town prisons. If a sulKeienf number of suitable, men were available, the .planting operations would be considerably extended. Probably the ditricti'lty would be ovcirome later on by the creation- of a different i lass of camp, where the discipline and sin p'rvision would b e more rigid than prevails in the present establishment. REGULATION OF THE OIL INDUSTRY. A request ha.« been made bv the meim-b.-r for Taraniaki that the legislation pro-p-i:-ed to be- brought down dealing with the development of the oil industry shall be submitted to those immediately roiltic ted with the oil borintr industry before bringing the same into law. EATING HIS HOUSE. "Daily confirmin.g a. .portion of his dwelling" wats a tso.Tne.wh at startling phra.se used by the Hon. Mr. Ruddo The Minister was referring to the case of adwelling, the eeilinig of which was. constructed of white pine timber growin in a swamp, which began to deteriorate after its erection a few years. LOST IN THE PENGUIN. An in-c.idiein.t- arising out of the loss of the steamer Penguin came before the House yesterday. when, the Education Committee i-e.portd that it had no recommendation to make u-iiou the petition ■ of a. working carpenter na.med l-'redk. Tetley. the contractor for the erectiom of a school .house in Pelorus Sound, who l.—t a. fina.l pavment of £62 10s. 'which went dow-n, with the wreck. In the course of a lengthy discmsision ] the Minister for Education, "nointed out I that it was the Bank of New Zealand 1 who were (he gainers by the unfortunate disaster. The petition .however, wa.s referred hack -to the Commit toe for further consideration. CRUSADE AMONGST THE MAORIS. :. There is no "colour line"' between pnv kcha. and Maoo;i in the matter of public

health, so the member for the Northern Miaari district pointed out. to the House in emphasising the work that had been done in the crusade amongst the Maoris against in|Statation. He said 1256 native house Shad been condemned and den*>Eshed 3Shce 19CT4, and during the same perio32lo3 mv/w dwelling had been erected. alt t!b.<se cases the Maoris had no right of appeal, but simply regarded is a fact that the white man had come ia the land, and they had taken the word of .the sanitary inspector without question, meither had the Maori people askgil for compensation. THE DAY'S BUSINESS.

The unexpected despatch afforded the consideration of the several local bills upon the Order Paper yesterday afternoon, necessitated some diplomacy on the ipart of- the Native Minister, who continues to fill the position of ActingPremier during Sir Joseph Ward's continued indisposition. The remainder of the afternoon, was taken up by the consideration/of Government Bills and by manipulating the orders of the day. The Matches Bill was put "through 5s third reading, and the Town. Boaoßs Amendment was read a second tinte. The third measure taken in haiM, the Hon. R. McKenzie's Stone Bill, was stonewalled till the when the House went to discuss private members bills. Members, howevfer, did not get very far, the evening being occupied with the consideration of jMr. Sidey's Public Health Amendment"