HASTINGS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1266, 4 June 1896, Page 18

HASTINGS.

There isan old proverb which says "Better be abused than mentioned not at all." I am particularly reminded of this by tho fact that several peoplo have been very much troubled in spirit about "your own " of late, and have been trying to relieve themselves by following Mr Pickwick's idea, viz, writing to the papers. Ono of these wrote to the Evening News. The editor inserted his letter, but he added a footnote which made the writer of the letter wish he had never been born. And so with others.

There was that sensational burglary which was duly recorded in the Timks a few hours after it occurred. The local representatives of the Napier papers knew nothing about it as usual, until they read it in the Times, and then they felt very bad. One of them announced the fact two nights afterwards that ho had made very careful inquiries, and found out that that the burglary did not take place, and that (lie Times had boen badly had. Just fancy ! What the Timks said was that such an occurrence had been reported, and " the story went as follows," Ac.

■• As a matter of fact the woman who reported tho circumstance has tho mask in her possession, which she says she tore from the face of the would be burglar, and sho has shown it to a number of people to whom she has repeated the details since they appeared in the Timks. Talking of being " had," the scribe who thinks the Timks was " had " as ho calls it, some time ago published a story of tho iniquity of a Wellington firm who had issued a " bogus "summons, and thereby nearly frightened a Hastings' " lady " out of her wits. The story sounded very nice until the Timks arrived, when, on scanning the report of the proceedings in the S.M. Court of the Empire City, it was recorded that someone having a similar name to the author of the " bogus" summons story had been sued by a Wellington firm for a debt, and judgment had been given against him. I don't think the Timks is in the habit of publishing "bogus" reports of what goes on in tho S.M. Court.

There has been a tremendous tr:.de in vehicle lamps during the past few weeks, which is surely proof that there has been a multiplicity of evasions of tho bye laws. And whose fault is that / A well.known business man was sued some time ;>go for allowing an animal, to wit, a horse, to lie at large on the public highway. There is nothing, perhaps, extraordinary in that, because it is an every day occurrence. But in this particular instance tho alleged delinquent had gone to Giaborne on business, and tin; summons for a stray horso was sent after him. The police there enquired all over the place if a man named so andso had been seen, and, as a consequence of this, the man's business was considerably alleefed, as the supposition that he was a criminal at large got ei:cola' e 1 about. At last he was found, and the document safely delivered to him, it \i said, in a hotel before a number of peoplo who wero there. Under ordinary circumstances, probably a defendant in a similar case would not have appeared, and the usual line and costs would have been recorded ag litis! him, In this cas", however, tho man having tueain at his rlisp >»a', returned to Hastings ami defended tho case', which was dismissed by tho Bench. Yet he has no redress or mode of getting his expenses back. There are magistrates in New Zealand who hold the common sensß view that after a man's property has been impounded and he pays the sum necessary to release it, that he has expiated the crime, and, according to English law, cannot be again published for the same offence. It is about time that a standard ruling was established in New Zealand, and such a piece of palpable injustice put a stop to once for all.

It is fully admitted on all sides that there is room for another policeman in Hastings. It is also suggested that the present staff might very well be relieved of many of the troubles which now press so heavily upon them, and interfere with the carrying out of their more legitimate duties. For instance, there ia the collection of the dog tax at one shilling per clog. Surely there are plenty of men in Hastings who have sufficient time on their hands to do this work. Then there is the preparation of tha electoral rolls, which could be done just as cheaply by ordinary mortals as by policeman. And there arc numbers of other offices at prefent monopolised by the police, which would help to relic vo the unemployed. If all these extraneous billets were lopped oil', it is quite possible that even two such enterprising members of the force as we have could manage to look after Hastings. It ia not so very long since one man did the whole lot, besides acting as clerk of the court and goodness only knows how many other things. At the last meeting of thn Heretaunga Masonic Lodge, Bro, \V. (!. Martin waa selected to (ill the cha ; r of K.S. fur another y; ar. There was a large attendance, and several initiations and raisings. Bro. A. A. George presided at the organ, and a capital musical servico was added to the usual ceremonies. The members will attend the installation of the W.M. and officers of the Sdndo Lodge (Napier) on the 16th iiist., when it is expected there will be 200 present. The Oddfellows piy a return visit to Napier on the 18th,