(PUBLISHED DAILY.)

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XX, Issue 2324, 12 January 1893, Page 2

(PUBLISHED DAILY.)

THURSDAY, JANUABY 12, 1693. A SEVEBE LESSON.

It will be seen by the report in another column of court; proceedings at Hawera on Wednesday that the Resident Magistrate came down pretty smartly upon a wbom he bad convicted of a gross "act of larribiniem. We cannot report the evidence at length, and therefore refrain from reviewing the cironmstances. There was a direct conflict of testimony, and the Resident Magistrate was compelled to apply tests as to tbe value of the evidence of tbe respective Bides which only those present in conrt during the hearing of such a case can apply. He considered character, and tbe manner in which tbe witnesses gave their evidence, and decided against the defendant. We have fall confidence in Mr. Kettle's decisions, and have no reason to doubt that, judging by what transpired in court, in this case he was quite right. Assuming that to be so, it cannot but be agreed that there was good reason tor esaoting tbe foil penalty. From complaints which constantly reach us, as well aa from

general knowledge of the district, we are aware that a considerable amount of larrikiniem goes on, especially in townships where there is not a resident policeman. We understand that in one case a religious body were praotically compelled to desist holding meetings, owiDg to tbe •onßtant annoyance they were compelled to undergo. Respectable people are largely at tbe mercy ot the disorderly class in these townships. It is not always i easy to get evidence which would convict, and even where this can be done many people put up with annoyance and injury rather than suffer the inconvenience and loss of time involved in comioy to court. It is therefore proper that when a conviction is obtained, punishment calculated to be deterrent should be inflioted. The offender in the case under notice may consider himaell fortunate that be is not now in gaol, for the Resident Magistrate intimated very plainly that imprisonment without tbe t option ot a fine would have been the sentence had tbe complaint been laid under a Section of the Act wbich might have been invoked. But the warning is pretty plain, and the Resident Magistrate having given an earnest of the manner in which he will use his powers, we havo no donbt that justices will follow his example, and assist him in putting down tbe conduct of which so much complaint is made from certain townships.