A LAW BREAKER A LAW MAKER.

Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 103, 28 October 1884, Page 3

A LAW BREAKER A LAW MAKER.

"♦ TO THE EDITOR. Sib— We in Now Zealand often hear it said that there is ono law for ths rioh and another for tho poor. lam not, howovor, of thia opinion ; bnt I think that what is frequently taking place in onr Magisterial Courts to a groat extent confirms the statement. It is now gome weeks since Mr. Phamyn, a gentleman of Wellington, and a member of tho Legislative Couno I ', was convicted of voting at an eleotion when ho was incapacitated by law from doing so, and that consequent upon suoh conviction he was fined .£lOO. And, sir, it was stated in tho pubho papers that Mr. Pharazyn, at the time of the hearing of the case, endeavonred to advise the Magistrate that tho fine should be the lowest coin of tho realm ; and, when he found to the contrary, ho said if it were paid it would oome out of his honorarium. Tins, sir, I take to be a direct insult to the general pnblio. I have also noticed at a more recent dato that Colonol Brett, in the Legislative Counoil, was about to move for an enqniry into tho matter, when Mr. Pharazyn replied that ho intended to appeal, and tho matter was allowed to drop. I waa always led to beliavo that when a person was aggrieved over any aotion of any bonoh of magistrates, his remedy was to appeal, and by giving proper notico at the time he can do so j but in this case I am not aware that any notioo was given. And, sir. I am of opinion that if, in that box where Mr. Pharazyn stood, a poor man had been placed under a similar charge, and said, or tried to flay, one half of what this gentleman did, ho would have been oried down and silenn«d by

the police. I am informed that Mr. Pharozyn, has been struck off the Magistrates' list, and that he is not allowed to take his seat on the Bench or to _ administer the law. And yet he is allowed to ait in the Legislative Council, and to take paifc in making the laws ho is prohibited from administering. I would ask, where is the consistency in this matter? It ia very probable that when the sesnion is over we will hear nothing more of the appeal. I also think that it is much to bo regretted that in such a oaae as this, when a member of the Legislative Council, or of the othor Houb% sets the laws of the country at defiance, or, in other words, openly defies the laws and is convioted, that ho should be allowed to draw his honorarium to apply it to suoh a pnrpoae. As the matter stands, the fine had but little effect on Mr. Pharazyn, but tho facility afforded by the honorarium would not be open to a working man if convioted under similar ciroumstancea, consequently he would havo to suffer more severely otherwise. I am, &c, Thomas William Shute, For many years an elootor of the colony. [ Masterton, 24th Ootober.