Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price ld. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1887. The Practice of the Law.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2066, 11 May 1887, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price ld. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1887. The Practice of the Law.

Sib Gsoboe Obey has a weakness for going beyond the region of hard practicality into the more fascinating atmosphere of imagination and imagery whence he gels inspiration which enables him to draw vivid pictures with which to enforce rather than illustrate bis arguments. Heme it is that the sentiment u’tcred in plain simple ; '.nguage by the '.night of Kawau, uttered t >u, tr. a fervid im passioned style of oratory that nukes you believe in the- truth of what is said, creates upon the unthinking an impression often difficult to eradicate. On the men who go deep and analyse, Sir George is less effective. But just as the poet conceals in a shell of high-flown sentiment a hard valuable kernel of knowledge, so the member for Auckland East frequently says in bis most excitable moments what is true and good. “ Chiela that wiuna ding, and diona be disputed.” His speech in moving the second reading of that familiar Law Practitioners’ Bill is a capital instance. There can be no doubt that the time is coming—it may not bo soon, but it will certainly come—when there will be great reform in all matters pertaining to the practice of the law, and its remuneration. We do not go so far as to say that there is “ one law for the rich and another for the poor,” but it camiot be denied that just at this time there are many resources and devices in legal matters which are open to the rich and closed to the poor. The Appeal Court, the Banco Court—luxuries these for those who can pay down in hard cash for them. Yet how many suits have been won in them ? The Magistrate’s Court, the lowest of legal tribunals, is not reasonably cheap. lu Wellington recently, fora prosecution involving about four attendances at Court, a solicitor was paid £SO, and this apart from Court fees. \or is this an isolated case. Anyone who has seen a bill of costs will perhaps remember the items : “ Writing letter to you, seven shillings and sixpence ; posting same, os.” As a matter of fact the fees charged by many lawyers in these days make it a very risky matter to prosecute a man.

We do uot say that all lawyers do business in this way, or that because a gentleman done a black robe and iron gray wig be is necessarily or even probably a bad character. On the contrary we shall And that many of our best citizens and leading public men are lawyers. But it is a fact that many members of the legal profession are ablo to charge extortionate prices for insignificant services, and thus olteu to bring ruin upon men, Sir George Grey’s Bill, we believe, would remedy this, without injuring the status of the profession, by introducing into competition men who would swell the ranks of the profession and thus induce healthy com petit’on. That a man should ho allowed to practise us a lawyer if he can pass an examination in law soems to us to oe a most reasonable proposition. it the same time wo have not the slightest sympathy with that particular clause of the Bill which provides that any man may defend another.