INDICTABLE OFFENCES

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 32

INDICTABLE OFFENCES

The Indictable Offences Summary Jurisdiction Act Amendment Bill was considered in committee, and clauses were added providing that at the close of a preliminary hearing of a charge for an offence not punishable by death, accused may plead guilty and be committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, and shall be brought before a judge for sentence in open court as soon as po^-ible. and bail may be granted as in commitment for trial. The power under these clauses is only given to a court of which a stipendiary magistrate is a member, and no accused may withdraw a plea of guilt.y so gn en.

INSPECTION OF MACHINERY.

The Inspection of Machinery Act Amendment Bill paved through committee, machinery worked by ga<s being deleted Jrom the definition of machinery.

ISLAND FEDERATION.

The Hon. W. C. WALKER, in moving the proposal for island federation, paid th ~t on account of the rise of the Australian Co'.imonwealth the moment was particularly opportune for bringing to a head the policy which vtas originated in 1883, and he thought Imperial sanction could be obtained for the extension oE ihe colonial boundaiica. The l&otion was j,ar«eJ to.

In both Houses of Parliament on Friday evening a resolution was proposed extending the boundaries of the colony in order to include the following islands in the Pacific: — Atiu, Mangaia, JMauko, IMitiaro, Rarotonga, Rarotonganave, Manihiki, Palmer=ton, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rakaauga, and Niue or the Savage Inland. The Council approved of the motion without demur, but the House of Representatives debated it at some lengthAbout 3 o'clock 011 Saturday morning, amidsfc a scene of pome excitement, the resolution was carried with only four dissentients. Members sang "Rule Britannia" and "God save the Queen on the result being announced. Lord Ranfurly, it is said, will leave at once in H.M.S. Mildura to annex the Islands.

The Minister of Public Works (the Hon» Mr Hall-Jones) laid his Public Works Statement before the House of Representatives on Friday evening. The feature of the Statement is the proposed increase of expenditure on main trunk rnihvays and the large expenditura ' proposed for roads and public buildings. The amount pet down for the North Island Main Trunk railway is £130,000; wlffle the Otago Central and Midland railways are each to have £100,000 voted. The sum of £50.000 is placed on the Estimates for doubling the railway line between Dunedin " and 'Mosgiel.

REPLIES TO QUESTIONS

Replying to questions, Ministers said : — The Government fully recognised the importance of the colony being represented at the -foundation of the Australian Commonwealth as marking one of the greatest epochs in the history of the Empire and Australian Commonwealth, and as soon as a decision was come to on the subject an announcement would be made to the House.

As to amending the law to enable Crown tenants to obtain reasonable advances en their improvements without the delays to which they are now subjected, Mr V> 7 ARD said if there were defects in the law on tha subject he would endeavour, by legislation next session, to effect an alteration.

In answer to a question by Mr Graham, who asked if, in view of the inability of the VicLoria College Council lo obtain a site for university buildings in Wellington, the Government would lake stops to proem e a ,=ito in Nelson, the Right Hon. Mr SEDDON paid an attempt had been made to tieat th 9 proposal as not seriously made. The- Government had done all it could to find a site thafc would meet the approvp] of the council. The Government required ilount Cook for defence purposed, and would not ghe that. If the council would not ccr-ept one of the sites offered," he would sat up a commission to inquire into a site elsewhere than "Wellington.

A Land Bill will be introduced in a few days, and provision made exempting from paying rent half-yearly in ?dvar>ee Ciown. . tenants who Lave effected improvements to the value of 20 per cent.

Mr COLLINS moved the adjournment of the Bouse, expressing dissatisfaction with the. answer of the Premier to a question — by whose, authority certain extracts from the Premier's speech in Hansard reflecting upon him had bean distributed in Christchurch.

The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment.

PUBLIC HEALTH.

The Hon. Mr WARD nuned that tha gmerdmentri in the Public Health Bill made by the Council be disagreed with, and that managers be appointed to confer with delegates from the Council en the subject. Th© principal amendment was the insertion of a new clause giving a local body power to impose a system of differential rating. The motion wr-s csrriet 1 .

ISLANDS FEDERATION.

Mr SEDBON moved:— That whereas it is desirable in the ba a t interests of the colony and the .inhabitants of certain is'ands in the PaoiSc, hereinafter mentioned that those islands be annexed to this colony, tl'siis Xiouse therefore appiovcs of the alteration of ths boundaries of this colony, and consents to the extension of the said boundaries so as lo include the Cook group, including the Islands of Rarotonga, Mangaia, Atin. Aiiutaki, Mitiari, Mouke, Hervey (Manuai) ; also the following islands; PalmeiFton (Jivarau), Savage (Nixie), Pukapuka (Danger), Rakasn^a, Manahaki, and Penrhyn (Tongareva). The PREMIER said he had never made a speech of greater importance than the one he was about to deliver. It 'was appropriate, too, ao it was the anniversary on which tlie British. ' Government issued its ultimatum to tho Transvaal and Orange Free Stole. The motion practically mean!- a new departure for New Zealand and the inauguration c&. a foreign policy and the bringing- together of the people of the Pacific Islands into closettouch with this colony. He cared not which colony these islands were attached to so long as they were under the British flag. There was no jealousy of the other colonies in the steps proposed to be taken. He referred to steps taken by past New ZeaVaid statesmen in "the direction of annexing these islands, and considered that Hie Imperial authorities had shown a short-sighted policy* iv dealing with that subject that amounted' to a serioui neglect of the interests of th© Empire. Had not the intention of the New Zealand Government years ago to annex Samoa to the colony been frustrated by tkf» Imperial Government the Empire would not have lost thac Wand, and much useless bloocshed would luue been averted. The action of \he Government of the day in forming a. protectorate o-\ er the Cook Islands had tha effect of keeping' out a foreign Power. Tho Imperial authorities w ere now much more alive to the interests of the Empire than on any previous occasion, raid ho Lad reason to> believe that the British Government would not turn a deaf car to the jjroposals in the motion. In the Cook group there was a. population of 15,000, besides a considerable number of Europeans. Tonga and Rarotonga, for instance, were only four clays'"team from Nc-w Zealand, so that, geographically speaking, they were in touch with this, colony, which, lie contended, should command the whole trade of the islands. Again", as to the Fiji Islands. If annexation were agreed to. it would add 10.000 to the people, of this colony ond increase its trade by £100,000 annually. JIo outlined the terms^ under which he proposed the islands should-, be annexed. Theie would be local se'ifgovornme.it, and the disposal of land would 1 be through the Crown only. He proposed' that one native member from each group should be appointed to Parliament and one European to the Legislative Council. Tho natives of thc&e islands were practically the ramc race as the Maori?. Tho islands would Se uiiicio solf-su'3«.oriiyg. This Parliament

tad a duty to perform in preserving the race of the beautiful and fertile islands, and he reminded the House that their commerce would go where the British flag floated. On i' -_— .!-,•„„ +1t O "p,.c.~.i"<-.i- o iiafiiion from the Arilus of llarotonga praying- that the^ islands be annexed to ISew Zealand" wal TeairT Captain RUSSELL suggested thai the debate should bo postponed until members had an opportunity of considering the question. It was a serious matter for the colony to consider the question of anextension oi the boundaries of the colony. Until he had road tbe Premier's speech he could not give an intelligent vote. If it could be shown that any good would come to the colony by a policy of annexation he would support it. While liis sympathies were in favour ot the motion, he thought the first duty ot the House was „to take care ol' this colony. If a nuiabar of scattered islands were to be annexed, it would involve this colony in providing some means ot control, administration, and defence, which would mean expense ; and a question arose as to whether the Islande could bear the cost, otherwise what benefit would this colony obtain from their annexation? With a desire to view the matter impartially, lie failed to see that the result would be to the moral or commercial advantage of this colony. Mr T. MACKENZIE moved the adjournment of the debate on the giound that the House had not had an opportunity oi considering the subject. The Hon. W. HALL-JONES, laid on the table the Public Works Statement. • The motion to adjourn the debate was losl fey 38 to 14-. Mr NAPIER said the motion was a belated effort to secure the predominance of New Zealand in the South Pacific. Sn G. Grey advocated half a century ago the annexation of these islands, and two generations of New Zealand statesmen had also urged that policy. There were difficulties to be overcome, and one of them v>fn> the quebtior. of labour, in connection with which the syfctem of slavery — tor that was practically what the sy&tern of indenturing natives to work on plantations was — could not be allowed to exist. Hs believed the time was ripe for carrying out the scheme proposed, in the motion, as it would tend to the improvement of the condition of the Islands and the commercial advantage of this colony. Mr J. HUTOHESON contended that it would be absurd for this colony to attempt to create a navy. Neither. i lid he approve of the colony paying a share of the cojst of the Australian Squadron. With regard to the latter, he considered the best way to support that fleet was to provide men to man the vessels. The labour troubles were so serious that it would involve the colony in a conflict with the slave-owning sugar-planting islands. Mr WITIIEFORD supported the reeolu tion, believing that the time had arrived when New Zealand should take steps in the direction indicated. Mr G. W. RUSSELL said the Premier had rightly said that the motion was one of the most important that had come before Parliament, but because of its importance he objected to the House being called upon to consider the question at such short notice. In his opinion the advantages to be gained by annexation were likely altogether to be outweighed by the responsibility to be undertaken.

Mr WARD fully realised the importance of the question, having, as it did, a most important bearing upon the future destiny of this colony. He urged the House to come to a decision on the subject without dcloy. There were times in the history of every responsible Government when they could not" disclose to the world the reasons that actuated their proposals in the direction indicated in the motion, but he 'thought the Administration should be trusted. The revenue of the 'Cook Islands showed that they ■would not prove a burden on this colony. Where, he asked, would Britain be* to-day if it had not been for !»er policy of extension? As to the possibility of black labour coming into competition with the free labour of this colony, he did not think there was any fear of that. That argument had been tined as a bogey by the opponents of the motion.

Mr TANNER supported the motion, but believed it did not go far enough. Mr ATKINSON hoped the foreign policy inaugurated by the Premier would not act lo the injury of the colony, but the complicated issues involved were such as to wnrrant the House paining before giving in its adhesion to that policy. All the commercial advantages -which it was claimed would accrue to this colony through an extension of the boundaries could as effectually be brought about by a simple treaty. Mr WILFORD considered the Administration ought to be trusted in dealing with the question. He was prepared to vote for the motion, believing that it would be of advantage to -the polony.

Mr HOflE HEKE urged thrt before finally annexing the islands it should be explained to the natives the responsibility they were taking upon themselves in seeking incorporation with this colony. He believed the natives did not understand the question, and he feared in future complications would arise similar to those that had led to trouble with the Maoris.

Mr MO2>nSL said the colony would incur a serious responsibility if it adopted the motion, and urged that there Avas no necessity for haste. The motion had been unexpectedly sprung on t^e House and the country. The PREMIER, replying, said the debate had not proved altogether satisfactory." Still, he recognised that members had not had time to study the question. The necessity f or promptness, however, in dealing with the motion was known to the Government. Jrle was surprised at the want of patriotism displayed by some members in dealing with the subject, and the Little England spirit by which they were actuated.

The resolution was agreed to by 37 to 4. members singing God save the Queen, and winding up with three cheers.