The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPEW IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1906. ILLEGAL CONVEYANCING.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 8060, 19 November 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Four Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPEW IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1906. ILLEGAL CONVEYANCING.

Tin: Waii'arapa Daily News reports very fully a case of more than usual interest heard by Mr VV r . P. James. S.M. at Carterton last week, in which a laud agt>i:f was proceeded against by the Wellington. Law .Society under the provisions of the Law Practitioners Act, for unlawfully preparing a conveyance. The case seems to have caused general interest throughout the colony, as was natural, it being of a nature that seldom comes before the Court, and one touching a principle which all business men should be clear upon. That no person not being a member of the legal profession can practice as a solicitor; is clearly hud down by the Act, and it is most desirable that such a provision should be strictly enforced. The only persons outside the legal profession who can undertake work such as that which formed the basis of the Wairarapa action Hie licensed land brokers, and the defendant ir the case under notice was not a licensed landbroker. The offence >,as not apparently committed in ignorance, (hough it was clear that the defendant considered he was entitled to act as he did as he contended he was only acting >u anticipation of the granting of a title under the Land Transfer Act. The Act was framed to protect the public from the practices of unqualified persons, and it is as necessary that practice in law should be as much restricted as practice in medicine is. The principle of allowing only dulyqunljiied practitioners to practise is j being t.\>-'!"].'"l to many other walks of life besides the !•:•;.!* and medical professions, and the public -l the long run arc the gniuers, and apart from the protection of tke public.

which the provisions of the Act amply provides for, the profession is also entitled to consideration. Everyone recognises the justice of protecting the interests of medical men from the encroachment of unqualified persons, and is heartily in sympathy with prosecutions against the many impudent swindlers who seek, by pretending to a knowledge and skill which they do nol possess, to gull the public into trusting themselves in their hands. The colony demands that medical men should undergo a lengthy and expensive course and pass severe tests before being admitted to practice. Solicitors also are under heavy expense in qualifying for their profession, and are made to pay an annual fee for the privilege of practising. It is right that this should be, for the community would be the sufferers were ignorant persons to don the robes of the profession. The Wellington Law Society has been attacked in some quarters for taking the Carterton case into Court, hut we think it will he tecoguised that in protecting in this way their own interests, the barristers and solicitors of the colony arc also protecting the interests of the public, and that by the insistence of the principle that the higher professions shall be in the hands of none but persons of proved competency the public are chiefly benefited. THE PARCEL POST. Tin: announcement made by Sir Joseph Ward in the South last week that the rates for inland parcel postage are to be substantially reduced in January, will be one that will be appreciated by townsmen and settlers from one end of the colony to the other. And especially by the back-block settlers will this undoubted boon be welcomed. If the life of the up-country settler is to be made more tolerable, a cheap parcel post is imperative. We venture to rank it not far in importance from good roads and railways. By means of cheap rates of carriage little luxuries and necessities may be brought to the settler's door at an almost nominal cost. The circulating library will reach further afield, and a stimulus be giveu to the interchange of fruit, eggs, fish and similar articles. It is a question how far the present limit of five pounds weight in the country districts may be lelaxed. We hope it may be possible to increase the limit of weight in many localities. We should like to see a similar rate of postage to the British one adopted. In the Old Country a three-pound parcel costs tivepence and an eleven pound parcel only a shilling. We recognise the difference between an old settled country like England with the railways reaching to almost every village, and New Zealand, where communication between our scattered population is kept up at the risk of the mailman's life in rough weather. At the same time in Britain ~>~> per cent, of the gross proceeds of parcel postage goes to the private railway companies, while here the State controls both post otlice and railways. We hope a generous recognition of the isolation of the back-block settler's life will weigh in deciding the rates of postage. We congratulate our progressive Postmaster-General upon his bold and highly beneficial proposal.