Heetive Justices.

Evening Star, Issue 8811, 28 April 1892, Page 2

Heetive Justices.

It was. seriously suggested the other day in one of the principal Ministerial organs that justices of the peace should be elected. The ' Rangitikei Advocate' thus describes an amusing example of how justices of the peace would be elected, by a description of a meeting held for the purpose of nominating a gentleman for recommendation to the Government for the position of justice of the peace:—" Scarcely a settler in the district knew that such a meetbg was to take place, and the settlers were therefore conspicaous by their absence. Only a very few of the business people were present, and the bulk of the attendance was therefore composed of 'young fellows abont the place,' who saw an opportunity of enjoying some fun. Mr Johnson, one of the local butchers, who was a stroßg candidate, was proposed aa one, and Mr A. Simpson, a son of Mr K. K. Simpson, who knew nothing of the meeting, nor of the intention to nominate him, was put forward as an opposition candidate. And here the point of the whole story comes in. We are informed by people who attended the meeting that Mr Floyd rose at this juncture, and urged aa a reason why Mr Simpson should not be selected that Mr Seddon had said that it was no use their nominating a supporter of the Opposition, for if they did the Government would not appoint him. Now with the rest of the acts of the meeting we have not the Bpace to deal. How they took to voting on the question, and voted often, ao that the ballot papers outnumbered the voters by four to one; and how the chairman (Mr Caff, a local solicitor), after quoting the law and the prophets on this extraordinary state of affairs, refused to accept the poll, and took another—these things are all matters of public gossip."