THE CRIMES BILL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14916, 19 August 1910, Page 4

THE CRIMES BILL.

The Legislative Council, not being embarrassed by any pressure of business, is treating itself to the luxury of a fulldress debate on the second reading of the Crimes Bill. Tho Upper Houso attracts hardly any attention from the public, and tho members themselves must occasionally feel that due recognition is notgiven to tho services they render the country. It is certain, however, that during at anyrate the earlier weeks of the session the Council gives patient and painstaking consideration to the Measures that are submitted to it, and it is equally certain that, in the case of a set debate in which all its more prominent members take part, tho Council has no cause to fear any comparison of the level of its oratory with that of the Lower House. The main interest in the discussion on the Crimes Bill when it was resumed yesterday ■■ consisted in the fact, that Mr M'Gowan, who administered the prisons system for several years and actually was Dr Findlay's immediate predecessor in tho office of Minister of Justice, spoke at some length on the measure. Mr M'Gowan is'no opponent of prison reform. He declares that if ho had the ability, the influence, and the idoquence of Dr Findlay he would have accomplished more in the direction of reform while he controlled the prisons service than ho actually succeeded in achieving. Biit the support lie is prepared to give the measure now before Parliament is evidently to be of a discriminating character. Apparently lie entertains the fear, which lias been expressed by other members, that there is a danger that under Dr Findlay's proposal prisoners may, if they are not exactly pampered, ho maintained under conditions superior to those under which many a poor and honest person lives. And the section of the Bill which provides for the creation of a board that will decide when prisoners who arc the subject of indeterminate sentences shall be released meets with scorn from him. He objects to the inclusion of the judge on tho board. He objects to the inclusion of permanent officials on the board. And lie objects to the principle of the board because he holds it involves the abrogation of Ministerial responsibility. There is perhaps legitimate ground for the criticism of the Bill in respect of some of these details, but the general feeling of the Council is favourable to the introduction of reform on the lilies proposed by Dr Findlay. And the country,' we think, will associate itself broadly with its feeling.

MISSIONARY ENTHUSIA SM. Tun local exhibition of curios and other chjec-ls of interest collected from India, China, t-110 New Hebrides, and other lands is symptomatic of that growing enthusiasm for missionary enterprise of which llio recent Conference in Edinburgh furnished so many striking examples. And although the exhibition in Dunedin lias been promoted by the Presbyterian Church, yet it undoubtedly assumes an interdenominational aspect, sines not only have other churches contributed considerably I'i its success, but the stimulus is bound to be fell by almost every denomination. It is a perfectly sound principle that before the public will give of its substance to any cause it requires to be educated up to the point of interest. Nothing is 60 likely to evoke curiosity concerning the natives of the Far East as an exhibition covering their domestic and national life, and if curiosity be once aroused interest is certain to followin its train. Those responsible for this missionary exhibition are to he congratulated upon its completeness and its comprehensiveness, more especially since this is the first venture of the kind in this Dominion. We can only hope that the outcome will be commensurate with the effort put forth, and that as, a consequence the churches of Dunedin may he incited to extend the principles of Christian brotherhood as widely as pessiblo in tho mission fields of the East and in the Islands.