"Justice' Justice."

NZ Truth, Issue 822, 13 August 1921, Page 1

"Justice' Justice."

";. This is a familiar term of reproach and derision* used 'm- summing- up" the' judicial eccentricities . of, the "great unpaid." '.But what of^tlre paid judiciary with its not infrequent extremes' of exasperating severity and startling leniency? There, wag the accent case of a man whose defalcations ran into thousands . of pounds who was tolerantly put aside for what is amusingly called "reformative treatment" — provided with an opportunity for a tran- # quil and' meditative, sojourn m a rest home; 'and 'there we're others, less socially, i favored, .who . were ruthlessly smashed on the judicial wheel. Of the latter, .take ' a recent ] instance, a sad arid, profoundly shocking one: An old woman, 73 years of. age, recently appeared.: before r Stipendiary Stovit 'at Palmerston North, charged with having stolen five pairs of- men's sox from one Of . the --local- a*ag establishments while what is euphemistically called a "bargain sale" was raging on the premises. The old creature, bent arid tottering under the JieaA'y burden of her years, and showing m heY appearance painful evidence of a life. of hardship and struggle, presented an appealing spectacle. In a dazed and bewildered manner she admitted her offence, but could give no explanation of her purpose m 'stealing five pairs of men's cox. The police admitted that the woman ihad hitherto led a reputable and blameless life; and nothing was known to her discredit. The* Magistrate, imparted 1 to her the, consoling information that her old age pension would cease with her' conviction, and sentenced her to a fortnight's imprisonment. Then this modern Solon began a moral disquisition of the prevalent general dishonesty, specifically, including .cargo piKaging and the malversation of public money — a piece of judicial rhapsodising utterly senseless and* 1 meaningless ii) its application to the broken and cowering old woman before him, and. the paltry offence - which she Was to expiate by imprisonment . and the losa of her only means' of subsistence; From neither of / the spiritless newspaper raffs published m Palmerston frorth has there been a word of pro- ■> test, or remonstrance. Both arej too * busily engaged m blatant and ignorant abuse "of the opponents of their particular parties, to concern themselves with such a- matter, even did their obsequious deference to thority,'' however wrong-headed , and harsh, perrpit of auch an attitude.'Verdicts such as that referred to go a long way to uproot the superstition that justice is blind and the law discriminating. However it may be explained, it m all too palpably plain that in 'New Zealand punishment is not the same for the socially favored evildoer and the poor arid friendless transgressor.