Heotew of Heviewn, 2>)/:,/0'j. 



History of the Month. 



333 



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' I, 



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aad 

 Juvenile Courts. 



to Maoris, and give a publican who breaks the law 

 such a long term of imiirisunniL-nt that he would take 

 good care never to break it again. Australia and Tas- 

 mania are examples of what drink can do for 

 native race. New Zealand might give an object les- 

 son to the world it shf were lirm upon this point. 

 The Maori problem requires tackling. In idleness 

 the native is likely to contract every European vice. 

 Mr. Seddon suggests that he should work, and the 

 idea is a good one. Work and freedom from liquor 

 would preserve this splendid race. 



New Zealand is coming into line 

 New Zealand w'nh regard to the special treatment 

 of juvenile offenders. The colony 

 has no .Act of Parliament with re- 

 gard to juvenile court.s. but a circular has l)een issued 

 to the Stipendiary Magistrates by the Department 

 of Justice, suggesting that, where possible, child 

 offenders may be dealt with in a more private way 

 than older offenders are dealt with, "to save them 

 from the degrading influence and notoriety which are 

 inseparable from the administration of justice in 

 criminal cases, more especially in the large centres 

 of population." Some of the magistrates have, on 

 their own initiative, done what they could, and the 

 Minister for Justice has wisely commended them, 

 and urged them to persevere in their good work as 

 far as is possible under the present law, taking care 

 that " there should be no suspicion of secrecy or the 

 avoidance of a proper pulilicity." The circular 

 leaves no doubt as to the full sympathy of the 

 Department with the humanitarian efforts of the 

 magistrates, and suggests that the lines upon which 

 they should go should be the keeping of juvenile 

 offenders awaiting trial clear of the lock-up. the 

 fixing of special times for the hearing of charges 

 against them, with express notice to their parents, to 

 the press, and to the representatives of benevolent 

 and religious organisations specially concerned with 

 the care of children. The police are to aid the magis- 

 trates as far as possible, and special instructions are 

 being issued to them. Of course, this scheme cannot 

 be carried out to perfection without some extra legis- 

 lation, but this is projected : and the results that 

 follow from the efforts of the magistrates are to be 

 carefuUv noted to form its basis. New Zealand is so 

 progressive in humanitarian legislation that it is a 

 wonder this great modern advance has not l:)een made 

 sooner ; but as it is, it is likely that she will reach 

 the goal sooner than some of the .-Vustralian States, 

 although they have had before them close to their 

 eyes the splendid results of the system in South 

 Australia. 



The Postmaster-General has found 

 that he has raised a hornet's nest by 

 h's proposed change of the system 

 of payment for telephone services. 

 The present city charge is /[g per annum, and the 

 suburban charce ^$. and it is proposed to leave ex- 

 isting subscribers to enjoy these rates, while new 



Th« 

 Toll Telephone. 



subscribers will have to adopt the toll system. Un- 

 der tills system, 760 calls a year would be allowed in 

 the cities for j£^ per annum, and in the subflrbs for 

 ^6, while every additional call would bear a charge 

 of id. It is pretty evident that telephone charges 

 woiild, under this system, be heavily increased. The 

 business that r«juires only two calls a day could as 

 easily do without a telephone, and it is evident that 

 under the plea of giving a better service, the Depart- 

 ment has its eye upon a very largely-increased 

 revenue. Moreover, existing subscribers have an un- 

 easy feeling that they may any day have their pre- 

 sent rate put an end to, and that some fine morning 

 they may find that office expenses are likely to be 

 raised by many pounds in the year. The aim of the 

 Department ought to be not to lessen the numbers 

 of subscribers, but to increase facilities, so that there 

 could be a telephone in almost every home. It i.s 

 distinctly a backward step. The chorus of disap- 

 proval, however, has been so loud and widespread, 

 that there are some indications that wiser counsels 

 will prevail, and that the proposals will be modified. 



On March ist the Early Closing 

 larly Closing in law, under which shopkeepers are 

 Victoria. compelled to close their shops at 6 

 o'clock, came into force In Mel- 

 bourne. Tt was to be expected that there would 

 be some disapproval, and a small section of shop- 

 keepers have managed to raise quite a large disturb- 

 ance. Curses, both loud and deep, have been ut- 

 tered by them, and there was some talk of passive 

 resistance. It is to be hoped that Sir Samuel Gillott 

 will not reopen the question. The movement is one 

 which makes distinctly for progress. In Sydney, 

 where the provision has been in operation for some 

 live years, there is no complaint. It is rather curious 

 that the opposition has come entirely from the work- 

 ing classes, who are rightly most clamorous for a 

 legal insistence upon the observance of reasonable 

 hours of labour. The plea of the housewife who has 

 forgotten to order her household necessities, and who 

 needs the open shop in the evening to send the child 

 to for the forgotten goods, is very much to the fore ; 

 but tiiere is no reason why housewifely carelessness 

 should he allowed to put the hands of the clock back- 

 ward. The Act 'was passed with such enthusiasm 

 by both Houses in the State that it will be rather 

 a riskv business for the Government to attempt to 

 remc-de! it. Great hopes are entertained by those 

 who have the interests of the general community at 

 heart that the Act may be amended to provide that 

 Saturday afternoon shall be the compulsory half- 

 holiday, to save assistants from the wearying hours 

 that now precede and spoil their day of rest. 



There was general satisfaction when 



The Colonial the Imperial Government sent des- 



Conference. patches intimating that the Colonial 



Conference should meet next year. 



It is important that the meeting should take place 



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