PARLIAMENT.

Wellington Independent, Issue 3882, 13 August 1873, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Tuesday, 12th August. The Hon the Speaker took the chair at twj o'clock. PETITION. A petition was presented by the Hon Mr Manteli from the natives of Ruakuke Island, protesting against the annexation of the Islands of Ruapuke and Solander to the Province of Otago. The petition was received. LEAVjB OS AB3ENCE. On the motion of the Hon Mr EDWABDS, leave of absence was granted him until the 4th September next, on urgent private affairs. WHSTLAND INVESTIGATION CASE. A communication was received from the Governor, stating that in hiß opinion Mr Lnhman, late Chairman of the County Council of Westland, had not been guilty of any intentional error, and even if he had been guil'y, the Governor did not think that the Constitution Aot gave him power to remove a member of the Council. LUNATIC ASYLUMS. The Hon Captain ERASER moved that, in the opinion of this Council, it is expedient to nppoint an Inipeotor-General of Lunatic Asylums for this colony. His object in moving the motion was that he believed there was a great amount of ignorance .on the subject enterfuined by the authorities. During the many years he had been a resident of Otago he had never heard of a member of the General Government being within the walls of the Dunedin Asylum. He instanced several : abuses whinh had arisen from the want of proper management and inspection of these establishments. There were six hundred lunatics in this colony in the various asylums, and he felt certuin that if a general inspector had been appointed, und the new system, at present adopted in England and Atnerioa waß tried here, there would not be more than five hundred. He quoted an eminent authority to show that the treatment by moral suasion and kindness generally, combined with healthy employment, had been very successful cbmpired with the old system of brute force and fe<tr. The Hon Dr GRACE said that year by year l.c was becoming more sensible ot the fuct that there were many permanent lunatics in our asylums who were perfectly curable. Even the appointment of a Lunatic Inspector would be a great boon. Nothing could possibly induce him to take charge of a lunatic asylum unless the treatment adopted was of a Immune character. It required great sympathy to deal with the insane. The expense necessary to alleviate the condition of this afflicted class of humanity would be trifling compared with the great benefits to be derived. The Hon Colonel WHIT MORE supported thft motion, and thought that if such an officer hud bpen appointed Biicb an outrage as tkat at the Karori Asylum would have been prevented, or if perpetrated the offender would not have been permitted to get off free from want of evidence to criminate him, The Hon Dr POLLEN said it might be admitted that the full intentions of the Luuutic Asylums Act of 1868 had not been carried out in their integrity. The asylums of the colony were provincial institutions, and great jealousy was generally manifested when the General Go vernment interfered in such matters. He trusted that before long it could not be said that a responsible Minister had never been seen within the walls of a Lunatic Asylum. There was no doubt that one of the greatest difficulties in nffording proper accommodation and treatment to lunatio3 was a financial one. Many of the provinces were in such a pecuniary condition as not to be able to bear the expense ; and no appropriation had been made by the colony to enable the General Government to help the provinces in this matter. The Hon Mr SEWELL had no doubt but that the provinces were quite as earnest in the matter as the members of the Council or the Government. He suggested the establishment of a building fund for the purpose of lending the provinces money for the erection of suitablu buildings. The Hou Colonel BRETT said that last month he visited, the Lunatic Asylum in Canterbury, and he paid a high compliment to Mr Soager, the superintendent, for the kind manner in which he hud treated his patients. He (Colonel Brett) had visited many of the asylums in Ireland, and he had never seen any one of them conducted so well as that of Canterbury. The Hon Mr WATER HO tISE said that as it has been proved that the treatment of the insane in some parts of the colon j waa dis- * graceful, it was clearly the duty of the Legislature to remedy the evil. He would go further than the motion, and would suggest" that a Commission should be appointed to personally inspect the ueyJums of the colony. He believed the time had arrived when the General Government should take over their management. This was too advanced an age to allow such nn unfortunate class of the community to suffer on account of any pecuniary embarrassment. The tlon Colonel KENNY said the Goycrnruent could enter into the expenditure of millions on public work*, and yet reject any ■ call upon it for this great claim of suffering humanity upon the feelings of men. The sole responsibility rests with the Government, and » it was its duty to bring forward a bill to deal with the matter. Year after year the Council hud been put off with bland promises from the Ministerial benches. The Hon Mr MANTELL agreed that something more should •be done in this matter. The Hon Mr BONAR said that, crushed financially as the County of Westland \»as, everything had been done to ameliorate the condition of the lunatics. He agreed with the motion, and only mentioned the foregoing to show that Westlaud had endeavoured to do its duty in the matter. - . The Hon Mr HOLMES said that he thought it would be better to establish one institution on each island. It had been fouud that the larger these institutions the cheaper and better the accommodation of lunatics could bo afforded. The Hon Captain FBASER said it was | generally admitted that from 200 to 250 was as large a number as it would be advisable for one lunatic asylum to contain. He hoped the motion would be carried. He thought the . Government should exercise great caution in seeing that the immigrants introduced wei f e of a sound mind, and instanced the large number of the Scandinavians confined in lunatic asylums. . * The motion was carried. CONTEMPT OP COUNCIL. The Hon Colonel VVHITMORE moved that the Hon Mr Menzies, having been adjudged guilty o£ contempt, be fined £50. The Hoh Mr HOLMES said that as the Hon Dr Menzies had always shown himself so diligent in his duties, it would be bad grace on the part of the Council to fine him for contempt without giving him time to make an explanation. He would move that the motion be postponed for a fortnight, and that the Speuker request the Hon Dr Menzies to appear in the Council on tlmt dute to explain the cause of his not complying with the call of the CouncM. The Hon Mujor CAMPBELL said that according to the Standing Orders, a call oF the Council should be made by letter and not by telegram, and that it was possible that the Hon Dr Menzies mighi have made a mistake, and have thought the telegram was from Mr Richardson, the Minister of Public Works. The Hon the SPEAKER said tLere could be no possibility of a mistake. Although the telegram was signed by him in hia own name, it referred to proceedings in the Council. The Hon Mr SCOTLAND supported the amendment of Mr Holmes. He did not think it would be fair to condemn the fion^Dr Menzies in his absence — a gentleman who liad always shown himself a diligent member of the Council. ■ . '•< '

The Hon Mr <HlAX^uU^ttpp^ £* motion. He thought as Dr ifenzies; B^dacJ- ;^ ( ; mitted that; if was his prfrofcalaffairls whidli prevented his attendance, he ehopild[riofc shirk the responsibility of paying the/jHinalty., ; He% ? was of opinion that the gentleman would not wish to do so. ■•' . . . ■ - .■■■-. .. The Hon Mr MANTELti said he believed;;: that, it was utterly unlikely that the Hon Dr . .-. Menziea would be guilty of pontempt pflfche „ Council. He had known the hon gentleman since he had first put his foot in the colony, and he had always kaown hiiri .to be: thoroughly attentive to his duties as a meta- ' ber of the Council. He trusted the Council would give Dp Menzies time for explanation.. The Hon Colonel BRETT said it seemed to him that there was a morbid sentiment ex- ■ hibited by certain members. Tha' Council had hitherto stringently carried out its stand*ing orders, and he could not see why the par* ticulur standing order on this matter should be ignored. ' . , ... The Hon Mr STOKES said thaj. the hongentleman had chosen between his attending the OUgo Provincial Council or the Legislative Council, He bad given his allegiance to the former — preferring the lesser to ' thogreater — and it was'olearly the duty of the Council to maintain its dignity. ■ : The Hon Mr SEWELL thought that timeshould be given the hon gentleman to explain, and if the Council thought .the explanationsatisfactory it oould either remit or reduce the-, fine. • ■ , ■ 'The Hoa Colonel KENNY thought it'wasa question of principle, and not of. sentiment.: He was sorry to see it reduced to a question of pounds, shillings, and pence, as the Hou Mr Sewell seemed to make it in suggesting that the fine might be reduced or remitted. He thought that the Hon Dr Menzies should be censured. - \' : The Hon Dr POLLEN hoped the Ooiineil would give the hon gentleman an opportunity of defending himself. The motion for postponement was then, put, ! with the following result : — Ayes^ li • noes, 19. ' . . The Hon Colonel KE{f NY moved that the Hon Dr Menzies be censured. . ' : The Hon Mr HOLMES 'said that the hon .gentlemm would fsel the censure more than, the fine. . The Hon Colonel BRETT was of the same opinion; Dr Menzies would not care about a paltry £50. / , . The Hon Dr GRACE would rather be fined than censured by the Council, and he would vote for the fine. The Hon Mr G-RAY was of opinion that by fining the hon gentleman they would also be implying a censure. - . The Hon Mr BONAR remarked that the Hon Dr Menzies had no doubt aoted highly conscientiously,. and thought it was more incumbent on him to attend the Otago Provincial Council than the Legislative Council. Ths original motion was then put, and on a division being called was lost. ' '.-.'■', It was moved and carried that the Hon MrMenzies having being adjudged guilty of con-, tempt by this Council, he shonld be censured* by the Hon the Speaker. , ■ The Council adjourned at 5 p.m.