Wanganui Herald. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1884. A NEEDED REFORM.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 5498, 18 December 1884, Page 2

Wanganui Herald. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1884. A NEEDED REFORM.

, It has been conceded generally that the llesident Magistrates of the colony should be periodically moved from one district to another, and not left too long in one place. The reasons for this are self-evident. Magistrates are but men, and as such contract friendships and enmities like other people. These likes and dislikes frequently make themselves unpleasantly obtrusive in some cases, and Magistrates are found giving decisions at times which can only be explained on the basis of a strong personal bias for, or against one of the parties to a suit. Of course this should not be so, as a magistrate, beyond all others, should be above suspicion of any such unworthy leanings. But the difficulty is to separate the man from the Magistrate in these cases, and to free the public mind from the very natural suspicion that the law has been unduly strained. When a magistrate is left for many years residing in a small town, where everybody knows everybody, and perhaps contracts family and other ties which bring him into close terms of intimacy and friendship with many of its most prominent residents, the evil is intensified, and the confidence of the general public is more or less rudely shaken in the bona fides of many of the decisions given by the Magistrate when decided, in an issue between one of his intimates, or family connections, and an outsider. For this reason, therefore, it is highly necessary that the Resident Magistrates of the colony should be removed to another and distant district periodically, say, once in every three or five years, so that occasionally a stranger with no local leanings or friendships may administer the law of the inferior Courts of Justice. For the same reason too the circuits of the Supreme Court Judges should be changed periodically, as they are subject to just the same personal influences" as the Magistrates, and are occasionally found exhibiting a tenderness for some hitherto influential and much thought-of wrong doer, that gives rise to the idea that there is one law for the rich and another for the poor. In Wellington just now there is a very strong current of public feeling against this undesirable impression, as from some cause or other the notorious case of Mr Waring Taylor seems beset with protracting obstacles, which lead many people to declare that they do not believe there is any real desire on the part of the law officers of the Crown to prosecute Taylor for his alleged misdealings with trust and other funds, of which he had the handling. Indeed it has been said that such is the protecting network of primary interests and long standing friendships, that not a single local firm of solicitors could be induced to accept a brief for his prosecution. This seems to us a most deplorable state of things, aud one likely to work great damage to the commercial interests of the whole colony, as business people at Home, who have read the newspapers' reports of Taylor's bankruptcy, and the official assignees report thereon, will naturally conclude that the people of New Zealand are strangely complacent and forgiving when the culprit is a man of hitherto high-standing and a general favorite. If Taylor is guilty, he ought to be prosecuted as fearlessly as the starving wretch who steals a loaf of bread to stay the gnawing hunger within him, nay more so as the former had not even the excuse of want to cover his malversation of trust funds with, and yet he walked about free and unfettered until a stranger could be induced to accept the task of framing an indictment against him. Had it been some poor unpaid clerk with a sick wife and a large family of small and helpless children, who had used some of the money entrusted to his care, there would have been no lack of prosecution nor hanging back on the part of the local lawyers, any one of whom J would have gratefully accepted a fee, ! and got up a strong case against the unfriended one, who would have been convicted and sentenced to a considerable term of imprisonment with hard labor long ago. If the laws of the country are to be administered as they should be, without fear and without favor, then it is high time magistrates and judges were periodically removed from one part of the colony to another, and not allowed to remain settled in one town year after year until they are connected with the bulk of the most prominent men of the place, either by social or business ties. Another thing too which urgently needs reform is the practice with respect to fraudulent and dishonest bankrupts who should be indicted by the Crown whenever an official assignee reports, and submits the evidence to the officers of the Crown Law Department, that an insolvent debtor has been guilty of fraud or downright theft. It should not be left to the defrauded and robbed victims to be still further defected by the heavy costs of a private prosecution, the Crown should prosecute as swiftly and as vigorously as though the case were one of petty larceny, and the

culprit a person of no social standing or influence. Perhaps the present Government have all these reforms in earnest contemplation, we hope so and trust they will lose no time in bringing them into immediate operation as they cannot be adopted too soon.

Sir James and Lady Prendergast, and the Hon. Mr Holmes prrived by the Waihora yesterday from England. The south train had a mishap last night at Greatford, one of the piston rods giving way. The engino came on with one side only work* ing, and arrived in town about 11.30. The first meetings of the creditors in the Piper and Delves eatutes, take place to-mor-row in Mr Kotman's office. The former at 11 a.m., and the latter at noon. The distribution vi prizes at the Girls' School will take place to-morrow morning, at 1 1 o'clock. Parents and others interested are invited to be present. Two thousand four hundred persons are stated to have attended a performance of Chiarini's circus in Blenheim on Saturday night. This is a large audience in such a smalltown.

An M.H.R. in the ring of a circus is a novelty, but it was witnessed in Blenheim last week, when Mr. Dodeon, during an interval in the performance, stepped on to the sawdust to present so ue regatta prizes to the winners. From the Post we learn that in the Banco Court yesterday, before Mr Justice Richmond, the case of the Kiwitea Highway Board y Wanganui Harbor Board was argued, and judgment reserved. While cleaning out the case containing the leopards and panther* of Ch arini's show in Blenheim the other day, one of the latter animals got out of the cage, but it was fortnnately secured before it got out of the tent. The Yeoman to bo published to-morrow, will be found to contain the usual amount of good reading matter, interesting to both town and country readers. The Yeoman will be issued in time to catch the first direct mail which closes at 3.30 to-morrow afternoon. Price as usual threepence, Mr G. McCaul, while going homo last evening, met with a nasty accident just above the Aramoho 1 lotel. From what we can learn, his horse stumbled, and then rolled on him. Mr McCaul is progressing favorably, and expects to be down town again in a few days.

! The Town Clerk has received from the Surveyor-General, a neatly lithographed map of the Westmere survey district, which includes the town of Wanganui. The map is not a large one, but it appears to be very accurate, and should be useful for the compilation of further information.

A private meeting of members of the Harbor Board took place yesterday afternoon, to hear the report of the deputation to Wellington. We learn that Messrs Abbot and Poison reported th»* they had waited on , the Colonial Treasurer, and had been successSful in their mission. The Treasurer had ■ agreed to advance £10,000 to the Board on the security of the £40,000 worth of debentures held by the Board, the money to be paid over by the end of the year.

The Court for the revision of the Maor 1 Jury List, sat yesterday at the Courthouse. ,The only justice present was the R.Mi Sergeant- Bias ett attended with the list of jurors, which was duly certified to and approved of by the E.M. The whole affair did not last long, the only persons present being Mr Ward, Sergeant Biesett, and Mr Woon. The jury officer will now have to transmit this list to the Sheriff, who will ; prepare therefrom, the Maori Jury List which will remain in force until the 14th May 1886.

Our Waitotwa correspondent writes under date the 17th instant : — A lot of natives arrived here to-day from Wanganui and other places, to hold a tangi over the late Erina Whiu, grandmother of Uru Te Angina, the Pakaraka- Waitotara Chief. They will also go up the Waitotara Kiv«'.r about 20 miles to Totaramabanga, and hold a tangi there over Hakaraka Te Uawiri. On the 21st instant, they intend going to Manutahi, Taiporuwhenua aud Hawera, to open up new whare* runanga's that have been built at each of the above mentioned places. Tito-Kowaru, and a lot of Parihaka natives are to be there.

A press telegram from Wellington says that a circular issued by Government respecting the hours of attendauce of- Civil Servants is now going the rounds of the departments The regulations are very stringent, and compel each officer tosij?n for his attendance on his arrival at the office in the morning, but should he be later than 9.35 he will lose his chance of doing so, and the day will be counted as if he was absent at the end of each month. The number of hours of attendance of officers will be made the subject of a report.

The motion passed on Tuesday by the Borough Council recording its appreciation of the services of Mr Gilbert Carson, during the three years he has held the office of Mayor of Wanganui, was an act, which the community as a whole will doubtless en« dorse. During hia term of office, he has at times met with our censure, but this does not prevent us acknowledging that he has filled the office of Mayor ia a manner which has met with the approval of the majority of the ratepayers. The motion for the recording of this vote came trom a Cr who had been a candidate for the honors, only a year ago, and the remarks made by Cr Bntchison that Mr Carson deserved their thanks, and bad earned their respect, drewanunanim us response from the Councillors present. The new Mayor, who was duly installed yesterday, enters on his duties, surrounded by peculiar circumstances ; but the ratepayers of Wanganui have every reason to believe that the new Mayor will discharge his duties with a dignity and independence, compatable with his high position.

The third of the shilling concerts, in aid of the Harmouic Piano Fund, took place laat night in the Christ Church Schoolroom to a very email audience. The following programme was rendered . — Overture, " Marie Antoinette," Mr E. J. King's string orchestra ; pianoforte solo, Miss Catley; song; "Only a pansy blossom," Mr Foster J " Adagio from Bethoven's*' sonata, " Pathe, tique, Minuet," (Bocherini), Mr E. J. King (cornet), Masters F. A. King (violin), E. J. King, junr., (piano) ; song, "Hemember or Forget," Miss Turner ; duet, " The Moon has raised her lamp above," Messrs Culpan and Foster ; air, " Varie Theme de Mercadante " (Dancla), Masters F. A. King (violin), and E. J. King (piano); glee, "Ye spotted snakes," Miss Willis, Messrs Holden, McLean, and Randal; piano solo, "Variations by Ascher," or " Alice where art thou," Miss Willis ; cornet solo, " Silver threads among the gold," Mr L. T. King ; reading, " Love in a baloon," Mr Fenn ; waits, " Myosotis," orchestra. Miss Willis, Mr Henry Collier, and Mr E. J. King, junr., acted as accompanyists during the evening.

A member of the Melbourne Herald staff recently bad a chat with the redoubtable sculling ex-champion, and thus records results :—": — " Mr Hanlan accounted for his defeat by saying he was not in his best form to begin with on the morning of the race, and was upset, and received some nerve shock by the start of finding the steamer just upon him. He thinks that but for that he would have won the race, in spite of not being in his best condition. He believes that the beating has dene him good ; thinks that constant success had perhaps made him a little careless. Since that time he has been resting : to lie fallow a little is beneficial. He will shortly repair to Hobart, where it is not so hot, and go into regular training there. He will row on his merits, and does not care how many people watch him when training. He has an adviser, but no trainer ; has adopted a certain course of action while preparing for other races, and will adopt the same now. As soon as he was beaten ho cabled for two more boats. Pas no doubt that Australians can build boats, but has a fancy for a Canadian production. These boats ought to be here in time for the races with Clifford and Beach, the former being on the 7th February 1885, and the latter on the 28th March. He does not think that these two events are too near together, as they give him time to go home and rest a week and train again. Given good room, and he thinks he can beat both Clifford and Beach."