HOWARD VINCENT ON THE RECIDIVISTE QUESTION AND FEDERATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 657, 26 September 1884, Page 22

HOWARD VINCENT ON THE RECIDIVISTE QUESTION AND FEDERATION.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, September 22.. Naturally, IMr Vincent takes an interest m the Recidiviste question. During his occupancy of the office of Director of Criminal Investigation, he was brought frequently into communication with the heads of the French detective system, and he has talked over the matter with them. He quite sympathises with the dislike of the English colonies in these seas at the prospect of a large criminal population being discharged on New Caledonia and other islands. He reminds us, however, that the position of French statesmen is somewhat delicate, as the people are exceedingly sensitive as to any interference of outsiders with their actions as to their colonies. To do anything which would look like yielding to a clamor from English colonists, would be fatal to any politician in France. There are, however, considerations which might be represented to France, and which would receive due weight. Firstly, Mr Vincent says that the criminal annals of England show that a strict penal system is greatly better for the suppression of serious crime than a lax sy a “ tem of transportation, by which the criminal is simply sent abroad, and may, in New Caledonia or elsewhere, lead a much easier life than in a penal establishment at Home. Next, the French people are anxious to have colonies for the formation of trade, but Mr Vincent believes that it might be shown to them that to send convicts to New Caledonia in numbers would ruin any prospect of that island or any other French settlement in these sea 3 becoming colonies of any.value in a commercial point of view. Mr Vincent say 3 that however ignorant the British people may be as to the colonies, the French are mfinitelv more so. Good might be done by showing them the nature and extent of these colonies. „ __ , , On the federation question Mr Vincent has conversed with the leading politicians of Canada. He says the expetieoce of the Canadian colonies is that they have not lost any of their autonomy by federation, while in many respects they have gained.