THE EMPIRE CITY. TO THE EDITOR.

Evening Post, Volume XXIII, Issue 63, 17 March 1882, Page 2

THE EMPIRE CITY. TO THE EDITOR.

Si iv— Can you inform mo how it ia that in Napier and Nelson there are two. Resident Magistrates, while in the ~KmsifVCity there ia only one. It maybe argued that the senior Resident Magistrate of each of the abovo Maces is a Jadge of the District Court for the~ surrounding distriots. Ia it not so with the Resident' Magistrate here t Does he not hbld Courts in Wairarapa and Manawatu P I see from the recent statistic* that Wellington has the tersest population, bufc one, of any oifcy or town- in New Zealand, and yet small plaoos'like Napier and Nelson are in a better legal positioa than the chief town in the colony. Surely there must be a screw loose somewhere. Is it that a suitable man cannot be found in Wellington to undertake tho duties of As-ist»nt Resident* Magistrate P Are the public, and especially the lawyers, to bo so constantly tod "that all the caries over .£2O are to be adjourned in consequence of the absence of the K.M.^' From being often present at our R.M. Court, I am aware that it is an intolerable nuisance to be subjected to such treatment, and as one of the ptiblic, dd?ire, tbrbtagfi ''th» bfldinm of your paper, to raise my voido bo p/eat an injustice. People often assemble expecting their case 3to be decided upon, but have to go away crestfallen, and without" a chance' of ¥etf6xtping the expense they and their witnesses have incurred by a day's attendance because ; thotr, cape has been "adjourned by the* Court." Surely these matters ought to be looked into, and some more satisfactory arrangement made. The fees charged by the Government are high, perhaps higher than in any other ' oolony, and yeVthe pttblio are dd'mpelletTTo eubmit -to a gross waste of time. Conld wotthe caw < . til U ,J1 J

be met by the Resident Magistrates in tho out districts haying a largor jurisdiction, and thus obviating the attendance of <nr Resident Magistrate in their district. I<• ¦ > not wish to draw comparisons, but I would remind you that Mr. Wardell, of Wairarapa, is the oldest Resident Magistrate in the colony, and that Mr. Ward, of Wanganui, ia not a junior to Mr. Hardoastle. I am, &c, Justice.