SPECIAL JURIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 899, 1 October 1866, Page 5

SPECIAL JURIES.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Hbraxd.- - l am glad to see that the remarks made bv myself on 1 uesday lust, through the medium of the columns of the New Zealand Herald, on the sub-. ject of Special Juries, have 30 far accomplished their object as to have suggested a direct application on the spot on the pait of a number of special jurymen to his Honor the acting Chief Justice, with a view to obtaining some alteration in the practices complained of. Ihe appeal thus properly made, I observe, was properly responded to by the presiding Judge, inasmuch as the sought-for redress was immediately promised j and so far the result may b« looked on aB satisfactory, and the gratitude of the ' applicants are as justlj due. Still, from some cause or other, the new state of things is tardy of development. Perhaps it is" too much to expect that the complicated machinery and extensive departmental raraificationa of the subordinate branches of the Supreme Court in Auckland should atonce answer responsive to the touch, so as to move immediately and correctly in the ne wdirection, and therefore possibly it was that on Wednesday again a number of jurymen, whose services would not be required until the day following were once more compallod to waste their time in idleness about the Court. This was the mor» provoking to the victims of judicial etiquette on Wednesday because, aB it appeared, a number of their fellow-jurymen, by means of some backstairs information, were enabled at the same time to beabsent without fear of consequences throughout the. day, and even the principals themselves in the cause to be tried by those jurors in actual attendance were not to be seen. !< ow this, I submit, is most irrepiil&r as well as extremely annoying. Why could -dot the information supplied in this instance to soma of the jurymen, and to the respective parties to the suit itself, have bean equally afforded to all concerned P U . 19 Plumed the Court knew nothing of hat took place. But is not some one responsible in these matters, and is not the question at large with respect to the unnecessary detention of SpecialJurors at all times a fit subject for judicial; cognizance ?

Of laie, special juries aro beoome the rule here and already the burden to some is not a li<*ht onti' s it wiße or politic to aggravate the discomforts of the system by the imposition or toleration of un- °^ a ® 18 ir - not father the duty of tbe authorities to see that reasonable complaints are vh - dressed, and that all needless causes of annoyance are, speedily and effectually removed ?—I am, &c., ' ' Z.

To the Editor of the New Zealand Herald. Sin,—lt w ® s w ith much surprise that 1 saw an account of a match" between the High School and the Wesley College First Eleven in this morning's paper, and have the honor to inform you that the Statement is entirely incorrect, as it was agreed hefore the game commenced that it was to be no match, absent™ W ° aloy GoU °g e Eleven were Hoping that you -will insert this, I have, &c., rrr » ~,, Secretary. Wesley College, Auckland, September 2S. To the Editor of the New Zealand Hebaid. , 14 > 3 r ? all y enough to make the settlers in this district Bayagamsteverreading a newspaper: here we have net seen a paper for nearly a fortnight, tho latest data received being the 14th ; nor are wo likely to receive any for another week.. The vessel that usually brings them, on Saturdav, arrived last Saturday without them ; who is to blame ? I don't know; not the captain, I suppose, as he is not paid to carry newspaper?. The Government cannot afford It; but they can afford to pay £10,000 a month for the Ira and Ma scheme. Surely, when the members of the Assembly, and tho Government vote such immense sums of money for postal subsidies, the public in the country districts ought to have a little more attention paid to them ; but no, they are notlunnr compared to the merchant princes, who must have at any price,"and at the expense of the man who woara moleskin trousers and who pays the most of the taxes. The days of subsidies should be at an end now, particularly that greatest of all waste of public money, the Pa and Ma subsidy. All we require in the present state of tho colony's finances is two inter-provincial steamers one up the coast, tho other down; we cannot afford, more.—Yours, &0., Settler^ Mahurangi, Sept. 27. To the Editor of the New Zealand Herald, Sir, —The Key. Mr. Bree states in his letter, published in this day's Hebald, that "It was proved before tho Synod that the Government expenditure for amounted to more than £6,000 per annum," and that " this expenditure did not include the suburbs." All ot these statements are incorrect. Nothing was proved on this subject before the Synod, nor was such a statement even made. It w<ia stated that the Government expenditure for relief of the poor would probably amount to about £5,000 {not £0,008) for the year,—and that not for the city,, but for the whole province. From this your readers will »ee the necessity of making a large allowance foeerrors in Mr. Bree's statement.

Mr. Bree is alao undoubtedly in error in [\scribing the distress that does exist to anything unsound in the mode of doing business in Auckland, and he certainly ought not to have made such a statement. But you are aIBO wrong in stating that the Bishop of New Zealand showed that the Government expenditure was only £200 por month. His Lordship's statement referred only to the cost of rations issued to destitute persons in Auckland, and not to th» amount expended for the relief of the poor by the Government. It will, however, help to close up this matter somewhat to state that of the sum of something like£s,ooo, which the Government will, I doubt not, have to expend during the current year, on account of destitution, nearly £1,400 will be the Government contribution towards the support of orphans and destitute children in the different institutions existing for their benefit. —I have, &c., B. B.L. Sept. 29, IBG6.