MAYOR AND MAGISTRATE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17429, 13 April 1922, Page 8

MAYOR AND MAGISTRATE.

A HEATED ALTOEOATION. A very heated' altercation betweou the Mayor of Blenheim, Mr E. S. Parker/ and the Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr P. L. .Hollings, occurred at ta meeting of justices for the revision, of :the jury list, culminating in the Magistrate's threatening to! Vft* vot seven, days in Pictori gaol." ..,.. At the conlmenoement the Magistrate said he had teen through the list, and as no objection was lodged it could be token as read and formally signed. The Mayor; stated that a number o/ 4 names of people who had left the'dis-. trict wanted deletion. In response the Magistrate ordered the oterk. of ; the Court to walk through the- corridor "calling for objections: None answered, but the Mayor objected to the whole, list on the grounds that it had not been revisea by the justices. Thp Magistrate declined i(| open the subject and the Mayor persisted that the names be read, and after argument the clerk commenced to read, the names. When the name, of a. man who had left the district was read tht> Mayor moved that it be struck off. The Magistrate called on the' Mayor to go into the box and take the oath and make formal objection. The Mayor de clined, stating that he was there as a justice and not as a witness. Hot words ensued, and the Mayor then left the room. Subsequently-the name of a dead man was read, but the Magistrate refused to strike it off without the evidence of the registrar of deaths. The Mayor then returned and moved an adjournment for a fortnight under the Juries Act, section 21. The Magistrate stated that the Mayor "needn't read that, as I knew it hefore-you-were born, 1 ' and .refused to accept the;motion. The Mayor appealed to the other J.P.'s to vote and the Magistrate warned .the Mayor that he was not on the Bench. V. The Mayor said> heatedly, "Well, I'll come up on the Bench, if you like.'' The Magistrate: If you do I will give you a week in Picton gaol./ The Mayor.then left the meeting, the Magistrate, still calling, after him,, and the jury list was eventually.sign-' : ed. The Mayor has formally written to : the Magistrate objecting, and the matter is being taken further*