THE LAW PRACTITIONERS BILL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 6329, 25 July 1881, Page 2

THE LAW PRACTITIONERS BILL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES Sir,—Your leader in Saturday’s Issue on Sir George Grey’s Law Practitioners Bill will not go far towards influencing public opinion against tbat measure. The trail of the serpent was over it, and the moat superficial observer could detect from its special pleading that the danger anticipated on its becoming law was not that the public would suffer, but that 'the present almost sealed fountain of the profession would be unlocked, and let flow upon others than the well-to-do classes in this Colony. Being a constant reader of jour journal, I contrasted your article of Saturday with that of the 19tti of this month (wherein you strongly supported the principles of this Bill), and found them strangely different in tone, that a pi sentence of Edmund Burke recommended itself to me as a probable-solution of the mystery. “Sufficient appearances will never be wanting t(. those who have a mind to deceive themselves.’ ’ Now, sir, after taking a canter over the various objections to this measure—and no person knows better than yourself, Mr. Editor, that they were flimsy objections— you arrive at the most serious barrier which awaits the Bill—its interference with vested rights. Surely a public-spirited people will, at such a bug-bear, cry faugh-a-ballagh ; especially when you so out-Heroded Herod in the analogy you drew between the case of the publican under the local option clauses of the proposed Licensing Bill and the present legal practitioners under the proposed Law Practitioners Bill. Sure enough you were bard wrought for argument. Granted that local option could deprive a respectable publican of hia license, and thereby rain him financially, the passage into law of the Law Practitioners Bill could not deprive members of the Bar from following their profession as usual. The supposed interference with vested rights in the latter case would be merely nothing. We, as a nation, encourage competition ; and the spirit of the times in these colonies is to grant every facility to those of our youth who possess high character and brain power. When we notice men like the Hon,

John Hall, favoring Huch a reform a* the one under dle-cusjion, we can diami.Ha from oar mincla as false the imputation that this measure is for the benefit of members of the Legislature. Many respectable young men of liberal education, who are not possessed of means sufficient to pay premium* upon articles of clerkship would, under the Law Practitioners’ Bill, pass examination—of as stiff a character as possible—and, instead of lowering, would help to elevate the profession. Apologising for trespassing on your space to such an extent.—l am, &c,, t. w. r. July 23rd, 1831.