OUR DUNEDIN TELEGRAMS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 May 1906, Page 4

OUR DUNEDIN TELEGRAMS.

[ISY Tni.r.GKAl'U— SI’KCI.U, TO THE STAR.] DUNEDIN. This Day. ELECTRIC POWER. The Waipori electric power will probable he in Dunedin bv November. ' POPULATION OF MOSGIEL. The eensns relurns for Mosgiel borough show a population of 1508, being an increase ol tori v-five since 1901. A SOCIALISTIC LETTER. The socialistic letter written by - the Secretary of the Labour Department lias 1 iooii considered l»y the Advisory Loan! of the New Zealand Empoyers’ Fcdcrawho referred it to the various members of the executive committees ihroitgho:it the colony, with a view to further net ion.

Air Edward Tregear (Secretary to the Labour Department) is severely taken to task by the Dunedin Star fur his socialistic views, published in the last issue of the “P.eacdti" which is the name of the journal published under the auspices of the New Zealand Trades Councils. "Whatever,” says the Star, ‘‘may be the opinions of Mr Tregear as an individual, the opinions of the Secretary of the Labour Department are quite another matter. No one occupying a responsible position as a civil servant, more especially one at the head of such an important department as labour, can consistently with Ids ollicial position be allowed to launch out at large in the field of political and vcial controversy. It is not so very long since that more than one civil servant was sliarplv brought to book for very much the same thing. If -Mr Tregear indulges in many more such freaks ns this latest effusion* of his, he will probably find himself a victim of a hard-hearted Government, who must make it abundantly plain that civil servants should do their duly quietly and unostentatiously, and keep their private opinions for their own private circle." THE DUNEDIN SCANDAL. From a reliable source I learn that when the inquest on the girl Matlhewson is resumed on Friday, evidence will be called to show that after refusing to disilose to Dr Church her betrayer, she gave hi, name to .Mrs Norman, in whose home she died. Moreover, it is stated that when taxed by the police, the man admin ■ ! he got Miss Matlhewson into trouble.

EXI'KRT NOTE TAKERS. Counsel for tin? relatives of Iho man Mi Kay, the vietim of add poisoning case, ami Coroner tlraham hail a smart passage of words at the inquest to-day. Mr Solomon expressed surprise tiiat in the depositions taken down hv the coroner. a cross examination tiiat. lasted 40 minutes was disposed of in three t*T.es. Tile Coroner protested his inability to take all down that was said unless counsel wailed for him, and indicated what he wanted recorded, as it pointed to the desirableness of employing expert notetakerds in eases of importance. JIDCH STOI'T AND POLITICS, 1 Tnler the heading of “Judicial Homiletics" the Star editorially observes:— 'We cannot help thinking that Sir Pi. Stout sometimes goes a little too far in giving expression to his views on social and semi political phenomena. A Judge does not go beyond his province when he points an appropriate moral in sentencing a prisoner who has gone astray owing to excessive indulgence in strong drink, but the Chief Justice, not content with this reasonable latitude, ho insists on airing his prohibitionist opinions on the judicial bench and attacks not merely the habit of excess, but the opportunities offered for the moderate use of alcoholic refreshment. At Wellington yesterday he (in effect) lectured a culprit on the folly and iniquity of not being a teetotaller, and went on virtually to tell the electors of a particular district that they had made a mistake in not carrying No License. lie had very strong opinions on this question of drinking alcohol. It was a great pity that a public house should be. placed in a district like Newtown.” Everyone knows that the Chief .Justice holds very strong opinions on “the question of drinking alcohol.” but we venture to say that the prohibition meeting, not the judicial bench, is the place where those views should find expression. Wo do not wish to be misunderstood. We should not have a word to say if .Sir Robert .Stout had been satisfied with enlarging on the serious results (personal and social) of excessive indulgence, but we deprecate the censorious reference to alcoholic drinking in any degree, and we object still more strongly to the dogmatic and partisan treatment of an issue which (as Sir Robert himself admits) rests with the community. The electors of Newtown had their opportunity last December, and the judges of the land have no right to censure them for the manner in which they choose to utilise it. The Chief Justice is an excellent and able man, but his interest in 4>olitics and philanthropic work makes him rather too fond of more or less irrelevant obiter dicta, and perhaps the time has come for a word of caution.”