EVENING SITTING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7827, 20 August 1904, Page 6

EVENING SITTING.

The Houiie resumed at 7.30 p.m

Iα Committee on the Justice Department Estimates, speaking on the vote for Maori. Councils, Mr W. Hemes urged the necessity of increasing the number of Native doctors, and condemned the Government for encouraging Maori tohungas by sanctioning their being licensed. ;

Mr A. L. D. Fraser complained of the inadequate number of doctors for the 40,000 Natives in the colony. Sufficient interest was not taken in the personal welfare of the Natives. " ■

The Hon. J. ; Carroll said the Maori Councils Act had beau drafted to protect the Maori kaingas from the invasion of pakehas. Hβ urged that the regulations against tohungas formed the only way to cope with the evil. No tohunga could practice without a license, and the Maori Councils would not grant licenses. The Government were watching this question very carefully^-. Mr T. Parata (Southern Maori) considered the attacks on the Maori Councils were due to ignorance. They should be- allowed to operate tor a few years before being judged.

After further debate the vote for Maori Councils, £1090, was passed. On the Prisons vote, £36,411, Mr H. Ell (Christchurch) complained that children of tender years were still sent to gaol, a practice which was condemned year after year by the Inspector of Prisons himself.

The Hon. T. McGowan said these children were sent to prison by the Magistrate psnding their trial, and he did not know where else they could be sent to. They were not allowed to mingle with the other prisoners, and no children were kept in prison in the ordinary sense. The vote was passed without amendment and total vote for the Justice Department was passed unaltered.

On the Post and Telegraph Department vote, £55,287, the Hon. A. R. Guinness asked if there was any turther information available about the Vancouver service.

Sir Joseph Ward said the Government had made proposals for bringing the Vancouver service to New Zealand, but had not been able to effect the change from Brisbane to Auckland. IT. seml . officially informed that Queensland would give up the service if New Zealand would come id, and he had tried to arrange with Canada for the change. The total subsidy to the service was £60,000 a year, and of that Queensland paid £10,275. New Zealand had offered to pay £20,000 a year for the service to come here in place of Queensland, and so far the answer given was that Canada could not see the advantage of the change.

Mr D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) asked whether any proposals would be made for a speedy new line via Vancouver at the termination of the present 'Frisco contract with the Spreckles Company. Sir Joseph Ward said the 'Frisco service was a good service for the colony in every respect. The colony wanted both services if it could get them at a reasonable cost, and he thought the offer of £20,000 which had been made was reasonable. The Government were trying to keep both services.