PROVINCIAL LAW PICKINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 317, 17 November 1864, Page 5

PROVINCIAL LAW PICKINGS.

1 o the Editor of tho Nkw Zka'and l!]-nt.\i,i>. • 5, . 1, T-" IT° W much are tho * pickings' of tho Provincial Solicitor, besides his regular salarv," asked n member of the Council during a recent dchato. Part of this information is supplied in Iho return published ■'v }nu this morning. Kroni that return it would seem Unit. Mr. Wynn has charged the (iovernment €220 ior his services as Provincial Solicitor in connexion with two provincial hills, and that another lawyi r has been paid CliO for his wrvicfisin reference to tiin self-same n nopposed hills. Hv right, there- ) lore, this fjlifi ought to lie added to tho .C 220, and we then got a small sumi of £2S.i, which may lie looked upon as a verv fair amount of pickings in respect, to two unopposed hills. But, Fir, thisdoes not represent all the pickings. Deeds rr-fcrr ng to leasing and purchasing certain property have to be left at the Huperint 'ndent'o oliico for examination by the Provincial Solicitor: and, as is well known, (hat gentleman has demanded two guineas from tho unfortunate owner | of tlio deeds for perusing them, and has declinnl to give I hem up until his pickings had been handed to him. I should very much liko to see the Superintendent. prohibiting the law adviser from compelling people to pay these perquisites. Tt is a part of the | solicitor's duty as such to poruse the?.' deeds ; and he gets well paid for it. Jn fad, considering tho number of times some persons have had to go time alter t inn) to get their dee Is back when they have boon lelt. tor the perusal of the law adviser, he ought to be mad "to pay them at least £,'> for loss of time and their trouble. Now suppose Air. Wvnn has thus > queened £"2 2s. l'rom one hundred only of these people in tho course ot the vear, this would mako t'2HI, another nice little picking. If we add, therefore. this latter sum to .122.), wo should thus get -C-135 for perquisites in one year, besides ,CGO paid to another lawyer— total .Cli)s* in addition to ,IMOO for salary, grand toial, CS'.l.j, when only .£-100 was really voted for and intended to be tho salary of the Provincial law adviser ! But the moral of the whole is so rich. The Solicit! r's soul rises superior to a vulgar 15 per cent. He may. in a moment of wcakncs-, sign the memorial to the Superintendent begging for the 1 i per cent., hut when calm reason roiunies her sway, and the fine and tender feelings of his delicate sensibility recover their high moral and patriotic tone, ho is roadv to burst out. with I'ranmer at the stake, "that unworthy hand ! that mi worthy hand !" and to be- j wail and hvnent his weakness. Still sir. there remains the fact. Ih it the high-toned soul which scorned the small amount- seems to have insisted upon the larger one equalling more than 100 per cent. Glorious consistency ! IVcHne 1"> and demand 100, and then call the people to witness my magnanimity, und my eloquent (sic) denunciations of the corruption of tlie others whose souls grovel amid the small and trilling mutters, and arc unable to grasp at and seize the larger amounts. Out upon ye, ye small fry ; fam glad lam no preacher. My nets i,re sermons" though mv language niav lie verv so so. l,caru of me ve timid politicians who have a chance of flipping vour hands into the money bag. l.et the small fry escape, ne'. only tlie largo tish. And to show my consistencv, my love for the public, my heart's anxiety to save them from being called upon to pay any charge in respect to title deeds, so called Crown grants, I shall refuse to pay that customary lee for the grant which has been charged since the "Waste Land Act came into operation, and which is provided for in that Act. >o much for the " sayings and doings " of that personification of all that is pure and patriotic in a public man which has lately made itself so very conspicuous. anil which has taken its flight . to the congenial opposition benches, upon the principle, 1 -uppuse, that "birds of a feather flock together;" and also because it found the notions of Mr. IS'cwnian not. to be quite similar to its own on the subject of provincial law pickings. Yours, &e., A Lookick on. November 10, ISO-1.