LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12874, 18 August 1910, Page 4

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

[United Press Association.]

Wellington, August 1"

The Council met at 2.30 p.m., . The Attorney-General, made n specific denial of Imputation's contained in a petition presented to the House- by Joshua Jones,, in relation to the Mok'au estate, in which, amongst other tliinijsj t'hU Attorney-General was .stated t# HttVe acted professionally for Lewis, the purchaser from the mortgagor of Jones's Mokau leases, and that ho (Dr Findlay) had-impro-perly influenced tho removal of a caveat.lodged by Joi.ios to stop registration ot a title td Lcwjs. Tlio adjourned, debate on the. second reading of the Crimes Act. v Amendment Bill, was .rpsttmed.% Mr Rigg, who disagreed with tho details of the Bill. Referring to inebriates' homes, he took exception to such institutions being in tho hands of any sectarian body. He thought tho Government should control the wholh Of the. reformation, institutions. He objected to the -proposal that the reformatory method should come after th© expiry of sentence, as still retaining ,the element of rcivcrige. , The question of empiovjuent Of prisbriers was one'which would'have to be considered, for if prisoners wore brought into competition with outside labour, it might endanger the successful carrying out of the Act, Ml- .Sinclatr .supported the Bill. Speaking of the superiority of an indeterminate sentence, over a fixed sentence, there could bo no question about the wisdom of leaving in ~ the hands of a prisoner his own reformation and release. He felt confident the application of the Bill in proper cases would mean a final release at an early period of, an indeterminate sentence. :'; The • success., of the measure j would depend entirely upon the "manner ux .which-, it was administered.

The debate -was adjourned and .the Council rose. .