The Bruce Herald. " Nemo me impune lacesset. " TOKOMAIRIRO, OCTOBER 4, 1878.

Bruce Herald, Volume XI, Issue 1049, 4 October 1878, Page 4

The Bruce Herald. " Nemo me impune lacesset. " TOKOMAIRIRO, OCTOBER 4, 1878.

It will be noticed by reference to proceedings at the last meeting of the Bruce County Council, that a legal opinion from Mr Haggitt, of Dunedin, pronounces the proceedure hitherto adopted under the " Regulation of Local Elections Act" wrong, and decides that the Council should appoint a Returning Officer for each riding. .Mr Haggitt founds his opinion upon the •clause which interprets the district within the jurisdiction of a Council as including •-a riding; and, with all due submission, we to differ from him teetotally. The Act seems to be very clear. It interprets a local body to mean the Council of any County, or Municipal Corporation, or JRoad Board, and then goes on to interpret the distriot comprised within the jurisdiction of such body as a district under the Act, at the same time saying that district " includes" the ward of a borough and the riding of a county. Mr Haggitt, with an obliviousness to the true meaning of English not uncommon amongst members of his profession, evidently thinks that " includes " and "means " are interchange-

able terms, but when the exact clause is

•quoted, perhaps he will change his opinion. * The clause runs : " District means the district comprised within the jurisdiction of any such local body, and includes the riding of a county." The italics are our own. Now, the Act further on provides for the appointment of a returning officer for every district, and thia means plainly ibr every Qounty or Municipality or Road , Board District, since the act states that ' means such, and then prooeeds

to tell what a district includes. Perhaps Mr Haggitt wili better s;e the distinction if we point out to him such a simple iuterpretation as this: "hotel- means a house and includes a room." Surely he would not argue from this that " hotel " meant " a room," and yet that is where his present contention would lend. We could go on to show from other portions of the Act that one Returning officer for each County is plainly contemplated, but there is no necessity for wasting space.

It will be seen by our parliamentary telegrams that things art getting closer in the House of. Representatives. On the Land Tax Bill they had a penultimate niajoi-ity of only two, and subsequent to the division, the angelic W. A. Murray, and Mr Montgomehy (who, in his own opinion) is a coming Colonial Treasurer, withdrew support from the Ministry. It is to be hoped that the Government will yet press the measure and stand or fa!l by a dissolution which on the Bi 1 before the House should give them a clear majority.