VISIT OF A PERTH MAGISTRATE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 176, 20 April 1908, Page 10

VISIT OF A PERTH MAGISTRATE

POWERS OF THE POLICE. • (by TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESrOXDEXT.) / Christchurch, April'l7. 3lr. A. S. Roe, senior Police Magistrate at Perth, lias just passed through Christchurch, after spending five . weeks s at' Rotorua. He told a " Lyttelton Times" reporter that at Wellington he took the opportunity to visit Mr. Riddell, the Stipendiary Magistrate, and in Christchurch ho Mr. H. W. Bishop and Mr. V.-'G. Day. Ho had not been able to see very much 1 of the. Court work, but on comparing notes with the Magistrates he had found that there ivas a remarkable similitude in the practices of tho Courts in New Zealand and Western Australia, although, of course, in the Australian State they had a larger and more varied class of criminals, due. probably to the goldfields, which attracted a large, mixed population. ' The procedure in . the Courts differed only in- one or two small points. Ho. instanced the fact that in Western Australia tho minor criminals had no right of electing to go before a, jury! Men charged with anything in the nature of disorderly conduct were compelled to submit to tho jurisdiction of the Magistrate. There was a strong agitation in Western Australia to see lire, a more complete option and a general reform -of the licensing and liquor laws. • . , "You have good; laws here,. and good methods of dealing with criminals," said Mr. Roe. " New South Wales is very poorly equipped in this respect. Tho laws do not give sufficient powers to tho police, and the result -is that a very largo nu-n'icjr ;if criminals congregate there, from all parts of tho world. It is simply scandalous the way the criminals can flock to Sydney and remain there." Mr. Roe has had a long experience as - Police Magistrate, and for two years he acted as a Supreme Court Judge in Perth, the Judges bring short-handed and over worked at that time. Be had all the powers of a Judge, excepting that of sitting ill tho Appeal Court. For seven years previous to his appointment as Magistrate Mr. Roe was the master of a steamer, and bad considerable experience in pearl shell fishing. , The reduction of tho Bank of England's rate to 4 per cent, may bo regarded as an official recognition that tho American crisis, so lar as it conoorns European money markets, is at an end. . . Tho Bank of England's policy sinco tho beginning of the crisis is now beginning to reoeivo tho-high praise it deserves. —" Economist." i From one-quarter to one-third of t-hoso ! usually employed in all trades and industries in the United States were estimated to be - idlo on February 10. Last year at that timo i tho railways wore more than 150,000 cars short of requirements. This year 350,000 freight cars stand idle, called by potty | onomios of tho President, "Toddy Bear ] cais." ■ ij