MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1045, 6 February 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Give a wan brains and riches, and he is a king. Give a man brains without riches, and he is a slave. Give a man riches without brains, and he is a fool. To abolish trial by jury appears to l>e something very like encroaching upon the privilege of Britons. Yet it appears by a recent telegram " that in consequence of certain juries persistentily refusing to convict in well established cases of outrage, the British Government, it is expected, will shortly suspend the operation of the jury law for a time." We think, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, the British Government is perfectly justified in its action. When people burn houses, maim cattle, and slay inoffensive persons, it is time, when juries decline to convict, to think of abolishing such juries, at least for a time. By the way, our Wellington " Special Juries" sorely need to be abolished. A man of Liberal or Radical opinions has as much chance of obtaining justice at the hands of a Wellington Special Jury as a Nihilist would have of receving mercy from "The Czar of all the Russias. " The sooner the Special Jury system is abolished in New Zealand the better will it be for the rights and liberties of the people. — Era. The Auckland Hearld says: — One of the effects of the passing of new Licensing Act, which vests the control of the liquor traffic practically in the hands of the people, is to make capitalists chary of investing their money in the erection of hotel property. A gentleman in the city had arranged to erect a handsome family hotel in Hobson street at a cost of over £400 but in view of the perils now attendant upon getting a license he changed his mind, and is about to expend the money in the erection of shops and dwelling houses.