OUT OF DATE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 161, 9 July 1926, Page 9

OUT OF DATE.

THE PAPAKURA COURTHOUSE.

TWO ANTIQUATED BUILDINGS.

The antiquated and unsightly premises in which the officers of the law are called upon to administer justice in Papakura, have for some time formed the theme of lively public agitation in that district. This agitation is a further development in the very chequered history ot Papakura's court buildings. In the earh- days when Papakura was barely a village, the district was served by a resident magistrate (Mr. Mellsop), a constable and a clerk of the court. At that time a two-storeyed building located opposite the new Presbyterian Church was used —identical with the private residence which was destroyed by fire two or three years ago. Following on those very early days a police station was erected on the site of the present police residen-ce. and the periodical court sittings were held in one of the front rooms. The late Mr. W. Shanaghan, then clerk' of the court, was evidently of a progressive turn of mind, for it is generally considered that the subsequent erection of the present court house was the outcome of his constant endeavours. This took place about fifty years ago. the district's appreciation being celebrated by a public dance. As evidenced by the accompanying photograph, this building i< now neither artistic - nor commodious —although it is impossible for a photograph to convey its dingy and unkempt appearance. The actual court room occupies about onehalf of the building, and the magistrate's bench and appointments, together with a table and three or four chairs, leave only a few square feet of space for the fifteen or twenty persons who frequently attend. Sitting accommodation for these people is procided by a short board seat along two of the walls. The table referred to is not of elephantine proportions, and when called upon to provide for the Clerk of the court with his official documents and papers, two counselling solicitors and three or four Press reporters, the scene of disorder may be better imagined than described. The latter gentlemen are fortunate if they manage to secure a bird's-eye view of the witness-, who "occupy the-miniature floor space to the left in front of the magistrate.

In this room, justice is dispensed over a district approximating an area 15 miles square, and affecting a population which approac-hes the 5000 mark. Incidentally' it may be remarked that one constable is now called upon to maintain law and order throughout the whole of this area, and, despite the repeated representations of the Pa-pa-kura and Manurewa Town Boards, also the Papakura Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Justice still looks with disfavour upon the suggestion that an assistant constahle be appointed. Recently the Papakura Chamber of Commerce took up the matter of the oo"-t buildings, and the following resolution was passed: "That in the opinion of this Chamber the present building doing duty as the Magistrate's Court is entirely inadequate and unsuited to the needs of the town and district, that a letter be sent to the Justice Department with a view to having the unsightly structure replaced by a modern and up-to-date building." The reply duly received stated that the Department did not think that the volume of business warranted the expense of a new courthouse, especially as Papakura is only eleven miles from Pukekohe: further, the only alternative would he to close the present courthouse and take the business to Pukekohp. ''The Department's attitude," writes ■ur correspondent, "certainly appears unreasonable in view of the tremendous increase in the population concerned. The absurdity of its latter suggestion is evident, for such a move would only aggravate the inconvenience now suffered by residents of Manurewa, and surrounding districts. The fact that its central position makes Papakura peculiarly adaptable as a centre of law is well established, and public-spirited citizens of that locality are well justified in seeking the removal of a distinctly obsolete building from the midst of their progressive township."