THE GORE SCANDAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1893, 2 March 1888, Page 9

THE GORE SCANDAL.

The following letter appears in Wednesday's Daily Times. As the paragraph referred to appears in our local columns, we reprint the letter in justice to Mr Simson : —

Sin, — My attention has been drawn to a paragraph iv your issue of tho 25th inst., which you quote from the Evening Post, as follows :- "No complaint has been made to the Minister of Justice, as was anticipated, relative to the conduct of the mayor of Gore while occupying a seat on the bench at a recent sitting of the local court." That paragraph would lead your readers to suppose tbafc I alone was in fault, while as a matter of fact the onus of the discreditable scene lies with Messrs Souuess and Mac Gibbon. When you copy into your columns such a paragraph as the above, you will in fairness allow me to make an explanation.

On the day in question I presided at tba court and convicted a man of drunkenness. The same person was immediately re-arrested on a charge of obtaining money under false pretences, and as the case required two justices, the clerk of the court summoned Messrs Souness and Canning to attend at 3 o'clock. The latter was out of town ; and, although I was present at 3 o'clock, Mr MacQibbon iv addition to Mr Souness was sent for/ aud duly attended. The two justices, after consultation in the clerk's room, took their seats on the bench, I being nlready seated there. I had tho ordinary ohaivman's seat, but the chair on my right hand had been removed to the left, so that 1 should nob be in the centre. On being charged, the prisoner pleaded Guilty, whereupon Mr Souness, without any consultation, immediately sentenced him to one week's imprisonment in the Invercargill gaol. The charge book was then handed up to me, and I was proceeding to enter up the conviction when Mr Souness grasped the book and dragged it from my hands, at the same time stating that I was not the chairman, and that they (Messrs Sounoss and Mac Gibbon) ignored me. I protested that I was the chairman, aud that it was a disgrace to the court that such a scene should occur, and my opinion was that the man should have been sentenced to at least a month. In explanation of my remark, it is well to mention that the police were prepared with a list of the prisoner's previous convictions, which were very grave and numerous.. The other justices were so eager to insult me that they never asked a question as to the man's previous character, but let a notorious criminal off with a week's inirrisonment when convicted of a serious crime. I may say iv reference to the Post's paragraph that complaint /;«.•>■ been made to the Mjnipter of Justice, but not as to "the mayor's" conduct in the matter. I have demanded and cour.t the fullest impartial inquiry, and wjnen that is made perjiaps these unseemly doings in a court of justice will cease. — 1 am, &c, I. S, Siissqn., Mayor. Gore, February 2s.

It is understood that one of the results of the recent visit of the Minister of Public Works to the West Coast is that the harbour works at both Greymouth and Westport will be taken over by the Government,