PAYMENTS MADE TO JURORS

Southland Times, Issue 25482, 30 September 1944, Page 3

PAYMENTS MADE TO JURORS

Increase Requested (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 29. The treatment of prisoners was debated at length in the House of Representatives this morning when the vote for the Justice and Prisons Department was considered. Mr J. T. Watts (Nat., Riccarton), said the payments made to jurors were hopelessly inadequate and the same applied to witnesses. He asked the Minister if he had considered making increases. Mr H. T. Morton (Nat., Waitemata), said it seemed to him that New Zealand had progressed very little in the methods of handling prisoners. While it was true that punitive methods must be taken against lawbreakers, the methods employed should also be reformative. What was wanted was a system under which men could be trained in useful trades so that they could return to free life as useful citizens. FEE UNDER CONSIDERATION The Minister of Justice, Mr Mason, said an increased fee for jurors was under consideration and was before the Stabilization Commission at the present time. The idea was that a man who was called for more than three days should be fully reimbursed. As far as treatment of prisoners was concerned there was a great deal of difference between the opinion of those handling the prisoners and those who merely observed. Ability to train prisoners was limited by the length of the sentence in most cases, but there were 29 warder instructors in the department and they were having some measure of success. It was a mistake to suppose that a few kind words or a show of emotion would turn a criminal into an honest man.

Pleas for more attention to the problems of Maori health and housing were made by a number of members this afternoon, during the consideration of the relevant estimates. A vote of £404,016 for the Public Trustee’s account was passed with little discussion. Votes of £18,212 for the Native Trustee’s Account and £363,000 for the Native Department were discussed.