Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3448, 1 June 1898, Page 2

Dueiko the last two years the Union Steam Ship Company has the union spent .6150,000 in making adcompant. ditions to its plant. The fact is a notable one, because the prosperity of a great company like this is necessarily and intimately bound up with that of the colony generally. It trade aud exports were not increasing the Union Company would not be under any necessity to enlarge its transporting accommodation. On the other hand, it is also to be admitted that the Company has shown a sharp perception of the business possibilities of the country, aud kept level pace with them. Its great expenditure during the last two years, which has just been mentioned, proves that. Within that period the Company has built five new steamers —• the Rakanoa, Hawea, Moaua, Waikare aud Eotoiti purchased three—the Wauaka, Haupici aud Kva Ora—and has two new ones building now. The last - mentioned two are the Mipouriki (aimed after a West Coast lake on the suggestion of Mr Sedlon, who was invited to give a title to the new boat) and the Mokoia, which is of the Mouowai class. Two more steamers are to bo built shortly, with a view to gradually replacing by larger, more modern and more handsomelyequipped ships vessels like the Tarawera aud Hauroto. It is also in contemplation to substitute for the Rotomahana on the Wellington-Lytteltou line a faster new steamer within tho next 18 months. The Union Company is to ba complimented on these improvements, made aud projected, on what is already admittedly one of the finest steamship services in the world.

It has long been obvious that there is enough work in connection court with the local Criminal, Civil, procedure. Licensing and Assessment Courts to require the attention of two Magistrates. Cases are frequontly delayed and indefinitely adjourned in a manner unsatisfactory alike to members of the bar and their clients, solely owing to th) unreasonableness of expecting one Magistrate to deal with the yearly increasing pressure of his duties. In view of the extended jurisdiction recently given to Magistrates, under which they are frequently called upon to give judgments ou questions of, great public interest, it is obvious that they should have ample time for fully considering the questions involved and giving due weight to the arguments of counsel. Yet in spite of the greater amount of business a system of procedure is followed which does much to accentuate the difficulty. Whenever an indictable case comes up for invostigation the old method is adhored to of having every word of evidence written out by the Clerk. No fewer than four days have lately been spent by the Court in hearing a ease which could have been got through in less than half the time were the common-sense practice adopted of appointing one or more shorthand writers to the chief Courts. Tho saving of money alone would bo considerable, while in time it wouldbe enormous. Old abuses die hard, hut this particular one of delaying bench, bar and witnesses while an official plods wearily along in tho wake of counsel’s questions has amazing vitality.

Hating virtually taken the Philippine Islands, the Americans are the now reported by cable to conoabolines. template also taking possession of the Carolines. Tnis idea is doubtless prompted less by a desire to have and own tho islands than by perception of the advisableness, as a matter of war policy, of cutting them off from Spain. At Guam, one of the largest of the group, there is, according to the informant of a Sydney paper, a harbour where large quantities of coal are kept stored, having been brought there for Spanish use, principally from Newcastle. This would, of course, be a valuable prize for the warships of the United States. As to the islands generally, and the Ladrone or Marianne Islands, they cover an area of 9SO square miles, and their total population is about 40,000. The Kanakas who occupy them are said to be bitterly hostile to Spain, and rebellions break out at short intervals. The Spanish way of subduing these is to bribe the insurgent leaders—which does notalways answer, because the market demand for leaders thus created fosters an increasing supply of prominent patriots anxious to be bought over. A hint of the strength—orrather the weakness—of tho Spanish fleet that tried to protect Manila against Dewey’s squadron is given ’.in the information that the gunboat on duty at Ihe Carolines has often been put to flight by the Kanakas throwiug stones on to her deck as she was passing under the cliffs of the passage leading to Fonape Harbour.

Some remarks made by the Chief Justice

and Mr Justice Edwards in judges on their judgment in connection

pair with a recent libel action are comment, worthy of note by the press generally. They are upon the question of the plea of fair comment, so often and in many cases so properly raised in justification of published writings that are deemed by their subjects to be libellous. The opinion of the Judges apparently is that acts of a person adversely commented upon should be stated or referred to at the time the comment is made, unless, in some cases, the acts are matter of common knowledge. Their Honors appeared to consider: it necessary that the antidote should appear with the bane; the readers should have sufficient material impartially placed before them to enable them to form an opinion for themselves. It is well that they made an exception of well-known facts; otherwise their statements might have had the effect of increasing the anxieties and responsibilities of newspaper proprietors.