South Canterbury Times. SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1889.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4981, 13 April 1889, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1889.

Me Justice Denniston,the new broom of the Bench, evidently does not like to be used as a white-wash brush. In the Bankruptcy Court the other day at Christchurch he let it be clearly understood that he is not to be used in that capacity except upon highly respectable parties who have a good big “ shovel ” to file, and one with something in it. The court, he said, was not a place for a person to come to sponge off old debts, and get a fresh start. The business of the Court was the distribution of assets. A man was in the habit of coming to the Court with £SO or £6O of debts and his only available assets his labor still in his hands, leaving his creditors lamenting. If there were assets to distribute the Court would distribute them, but would not allow large debtors without assets to come for their release. Surely the new broom was a little “ off the handle ” in laying down this new rule for whitewashers. Not but that the rule may be a sound one in itself, but the judge’s singling out of a poor devil of a labourer in a hole was, to say the least unkind. Labourers are as honest as other people, while they are apt to suffer financially from causes beyond their control, a great deal oftener than other people. The law says nothing about the size of the “ shovel,” and it is not meet for the judge to make a wry face at a little one.