who speaks the language.
The CHAIRMAN-I think you will have the opportunity very soon of discussing the whole question in the Legislative Council. I think it will be a question of how much is to be done by the Emigration Officer and how much by the Registrar-General. The complaints that reachi us at prosent from all quarters are very sorrious indeed. One great evil is the emigration houses. Hon. J. BELI-IRVING-Do you mean that the men are kidnapped?
The CHAIRMAN-They are brought here under false pretences, and are taken on board the steamer in all manner of ways without passing the doctor or Emigration Officer, and they never know where they are until they are off Green Island.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said he believed that in most cases the men who jumped over- board were swindlers, who had agreed to go voluntarily and had got an advance, and they wanted to get out of their contract.
The CHAIRMAN said there was a time when what the Attorney-General had alluded to actually occurred, and great cars would have to be taken in each case to ascertain who was right and who wrong, but that there was a great deal of hardship there could be no doubt.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said a great many cases of alleged kidnapping had come before him, and on looking into them nothing was clearer than that the nien had more or less form- ed an intention of going.
The CHAIRMAN asked the Attorney-General if he had seen a book produced in evidence in the Supreme Court the other day from which it appeared that men had been actually sold.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Yes; there is something like that, but I don't think from my experience there is any extensive kiduapping in the real sense of people being taken against their will. There are, of course, a great many people who go and then wish they had not.
The CHAIRMAN said he had no sympathy with people who had voluntarily agreed to go and taken their advance, but there were cases of real hardship. Another matter was that it had become a common thing for a procuress to take a first class cabin, and she was then free of tho emi- gration laws and could take a number of girls as her servants. He thought it had become noces. sary to enact that no Chinese woman should leave without passing an examination.
Hon. J. BELL-IRVING said it would be a very difficult thing to kidnap people in their own country.
The COLONIAL TREASURER said they were not kidnapped, they were decoyed.
The CHAIRMAN said no one could have any idea of the simplicity of some of the men who left as emigrants.
The vote was approved.
OBSERVATORY.
On the vote under this heading the Hou. B. LAYTON raised the question of telegraphio com- munication with the Observatory, as he had ob served that Dr. Doberck complained he could not get his views about the weather sent over to this sido fast enough.
The CHAIRMAN said if Dr. Doberck had a line to himself it would assist him.
Hon. B. LAYTON said the messages were very important, and asked what a line would cost.
Tho CHAIRMAN said it would probably cost $2.000 or $3,000.
Hon. B. LAYTON asked if the police cable was not available.
Hon, W. M. DEANE said the police cable was nsed, but Dr. Doberck wanted to be able to tele- graph at any hour of the day or night.
Hon. B. LAYTON-Naturally.
Hou, W. M. DEANE-But don't you see, it wakes up the men. The instruments are not powerful enough to send a message through from the Observatory to the Central Station, The so they have to be transmitted twice. hon. gentleman went on to explain that urgeat messages conld be sent at any time, but ordinary messages were sent at stated hours. Dr. Doberek had his own wire to the signal station, for the hoisting of the drum and so on, hat what Dr. Doberok wanted was to be in direct communication with the offices of the Easteru Extension Company. At present the messages
from the ports came to the police, who had to transmit them; most of them were in expher, too, and the police would be very glad to get rid of
them.
The CHAIRMAN said he thought unless any member considered the matter urgent they might leave it for the present.
The COLONIAL TREASURER asked if Dr. Do- berek had made a requisition, and whether the question of a cable was before the Committes.
The CHAIRMAN replied that it was not. Hon. B. LAYTON said he thought the cable had been asked for several times.
of
The CHAIRMAN said it was simply a question money; if the colony wanted it and was will- ing to pay for it the Government would make no objection.
No formal suggestion was made that a cable should be laid, and the vote, which did not in- Iclude an item on this account, passed as it stood.
GARDENS AND PLANTATIONS.
The CHAIMAN explained that an increase of $800 for the maintenance of the Government Gardens was more apparent than real, that a large number of plants were sold, the proceeds of which went into the Treasury, and this sum was put down as an equivalent.
The vote was approved.
JUDICIAL.
Ou the vote for the Judicial Department, Hon. B. LAYTON asked if anything had been done about the interpretation question.
The CHAIRMAN-The Governor said the other day he would write an additional message, and I think he will refer to the interpretation. The question is now all ent and dry; all the people who had to report on it have sent in their reports.
The vote was approved.
ECCLESIASTICAL
The Ecclesiastical vote was approved.
EDUCATIONAL.
The CHAIRMAN said that many of the increases shown under the Central School heading were apparent and Dot real, for instance. the in- crease to the Head Master, $720. The Governor was determined to analgamate rent and salary as fast as possible, as was done here, and in course of time all allowances for rent would disappear.
Hon. W. M. DEANE asked if there would be re sidence for the masters at the new Central School.
The CHAIRMAN replied in the negative.
Hon. W. M. DEANE-A large building like that ought not to be left without some one in charge. Hon. P. RYRIE-Was it not the idea they hould bave a hoarding College P
The CHAIRMAN-That has been given up, I think. There will, of course, be a care-taker.
Hon. J. BELL-IRVING-Will the present Central School be sold?
The CHAIRMAN-Yes, and it is hopod the sum obtained for it will go far towards paying the expense of the now building.
The CHAIRMAN went on to explain that the addition of $1,000 under the heading of grants- in-aid was caused by the present vote being in- sufficient. The Inspector of Sobools had repre. sented that the number of schools was ingreas- ing so rapidly and education increasing so much that the present vote of $17,000 was inade. quate. The Secretary of State had given it as his opinion that the sum voted for education should be decided by the Council with regard to the finances of the Colony, and whatever som the Council put on the Estimates must be adhered to. The result had been that on one or two occasions the Inspector had had to give less to teachers than they would otherwise have received under the grant-in-aid scheme. It was to prevent the necessity of making any reduc- tion of that kind that the Inspector had re- commended this increase. Only the amount voted could be spent and the teachers understood that if the amount was not sufficient to meet the claim's under the grant-in-aid scheme there must be a reduction.
wis
The CHAIRMAN also explained that the re- duction of $2,400 appearing under the heading of "Quarters for Masters at Central School only apparent and not real, the amount having been added to the salaries. The vote was approved.
MEDICAL.
The CHAIRMAN said that under this heading
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