NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 207, 3 September 1886, Page 1

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

» The battle against the CD. Act has been wod, last night Cr. Goldie's resolution suspending the Act being carried by 9 to 7. We are glad that this was done without r.ferenee to a poll of the ratepaj ers,and irrespective of the vot> 8 of the new Councillor who are known to be against the act. The decision has been arrived at from conviction brought about by a full debate of the whole question. Councillor Cooper, who voted with the minority, confessed that he had begun with a strong opinion in favour of the Act, but this bad been very much shaken by the discussion. We are euro that -those who go carefully into the pros and cons, without prejudice either': way, must be driven to the conviction that it is inexpedient to maintain such a law in an English community. The public cannot be more thankful than ourselves to get rid of the unwholesome subject from the columns of the press without the agitation that would have attended a poll.

Our Wellington correspondent telegraphs: —" The ' Post' last night says :—' It ia stated, apparently on good authority, that Mr Justice Gillies, has applied for an extended leave of absence on account of illhealth necessitating complete-rest for a time. Of course such a plea cannot be disregarded, but the absence of one of the judges under present circumstances will ba productive of very great public inconvenience. The Bench is not too strong, physically or numerically, at present. The Chief Justice is not by any means in 1 robust health, and both Judges Johnston and Richmond are somewhat deliI cats. The work is very heavy, even for five judges, and there are growls all over the colony at the law's delays, owing in some degree, no doubt, to judges being overworked. Of course these delays will >be aggravated if the number of judges is reduced to four. If Mr Justice Gillies, therefore, gets a long leave of absence, it will be almost impossible, we should think, to avoid appointing an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court, and as no barrister, if. standing, would care to abandon his practice to accept such a position, no doubt District Judge Dudley Ward will be raised temporarily to the superior Bench, as he was under somewhat t-imilur circumstances once before. .It is understood that Mr Lowther Broad, ot Nelson, haß decided not to accept the Resident Magistracy of Wellington. Mr T. S, Wtston is now corsideied to be the coming man." Tho French Government show a settled determination to press the convict question as a sot,otY to their occupation of tho New Hebrides, The f revnier, M. de Freycinot d •has informed theßiitish Ambassador atParis that the only condition on which the cessation of criminal deportation to tho Pacific shall h e ordered ia that the colonies agree to the French annexation of the Islands named. If a distinct pledge were givon for the abatement of the convict nuisance, and French bona /ides could bo r lied upon, w fancy the rnoHfc of tho cokuies would readily rosign the New Heb;ides Wo have frequently pointed out, however, that the two questions should not be mingled together, and wo observe that Sir Berry adopts that attitude in a letter which ho hns writm on the subject. At the Same time it must not bo forgotten that France has the power by her convict policy,to inilict great annoyonce on the Govemmeuts of Australasia, In peopling her Pacific colonies with convicts she is acting strictly within her rights, and is closely following English precedent, so that it will be a matter of extreme difficulty to eeeure an abandonment of the policy,?avo by giving some such qvid pro quo as is now asked. The idea that the colonies would combine to " boycot" French trade in any event is the purest bunkum, and is of a piece with tho Victorian & gent - General's cool assumption of authority to repie'ent co'onial opinion in the matter. In the circumstances of the case, we think that principle might very well give place to expediency, anri the French occupation of the New Hebrides might be accepted " and recognised,on condition that criminal deportation is at once and for ever stopped. The only drawback to this is the flagrant breach of treaty obligations already committed by France, which gives but a-poor guarantee of. any fresh obligation being observed. I'