The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas, et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1882. Magisterial.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 538, 19 January 1882, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas, et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1882. Magisterial.

TOWN EDITION. [lssued at 4.30 p. m. j:

Mr Beswick, R.M., will find his new position no sinecure we should say. He has been recently appointed to the Resident Magistracy of Timaru, in place of Mr Richmond Beetham, R.M., transferred to Christchurch. In addition to two regular weekly sittings at Timaru—and any number of jrregular ones, as any person acquainted with the Timaru R.M. Court can testify— Mr Beetham’s successor will; be required to attend once a week -it VVaimate, once a week at Geraldine, and also periodically at Temuka. Should he be at a loss how to dispose of the balance of his time, he will find inquests and fire enquiries, etc., quite sufficient to diversify his work. But in oijder that there may be no time wasted ;it all—to make assurance doubly sure jin fact —Mr Beswick has also been paddled with the vacant Ashburton magistracy and will be expected to sit hire one day per week. It really seem|> to us that in order to fulfil his multifarious engagements with the public, Mr Beswick will require to b;; gifted with the powers of Sir | Boyle Roach’s famous bird, and be in two places at one time! There has been no little grumbling at the action of the Government in refusing to appoint a permanent successor to Mr Wood on the Ashburton Bench, and such grumbling is certainly not without good cause. That one man can discharge efficiently the duties demanded of Mr Beswick is an impossibility, and the idea is manifestly absurd. We trust that the present arrangement affecting our Court is but a temporary one, and that the Government is merely waiting until it find an eligible man as a Resident Magistrate for Ashburton.