NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1893, 30 October 1913, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Three essential principles in the administration of are sound knowledge, strict impartiality, and speedy decision. "Tho law's delay" was ono of the great evils of by-gone days, and it is with the- object of preventing! the hardship and inconvenience resulting from unduly protracted litigation that the Minister of Justice (Mr. Hebdman) has introduced the Judicature Amendment Bill. It is satisfactory to note that the motion to commit the measure was agreed to on the voices in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, for the remarkable growth of Court business in recent years appears to amply justify the proposal to strengthen the Bench, and whether one or two extra Judges are appointed, .the Courts be put in a position to cope expeditiously with the work that conies before them. The views of the Judges themselves and of the lawyers should, of course, receive respectful attention, but the principal thing to be taken into consideration is thepublic convenience. If, as Me. Hindjiarsh says, tho delays which at present occur put litigants to great trouble and expense, steps ought to be taken at once to enable the Court' business to bo transacted more promptly. Everyone can see the serious hardships which must arise if- tho hearing of criminal eases is unduly delayed, and the need of prompt judgment in civil cases is of the greatest importance to the whole community, and more especially to business people. The main differ-, ence of opinion revealed by the discussion in the House was as {o whether one or two additional Judges are required, and in view of the increasing number of cases dealt with, it is, very doubtful if ono new Judge would be sufficient. However, Me. Herdman has promised to reconsider this point before the Bill goes into Committee. No one want-s to see more appointments made than are really necessary, but it is always bad : policy to economise .at the expense of efficiency. I

When people read the accounts of railway accidents at Home and abroad, such as the recant _ Aisgill disaster, they are apt to think tnat railroad travel is much more dangerous than it really is. More railway accidents are supposed to happen in the, United States than in other countries, but statistics show that, considering the vast number of passengers carried, the mishaps are very few. The following statement in one of the reports of the InterState Commerce Commission gives the number of passengers who were killed or injured in the United States on railroads during the past six years:—

The II all Street Journal, in ' printing these figures, remarks that they, "utterly fail to convey to the mind what a high degree of safety they represent." In order to picture to the imagination. of the reader how high this safety is, the following illustration is given:—"A typical journey for nil roads in the country is now 34 miles, and there are taken on the average 2,275,122 such journeys in safety to cacli journey which results fatally. If a man were to ride out these 2,275,122 safe journeys at two per day for each business day in the year, it would take him 3792 years. To have begun in ,timo to meet his death in 1914 he would have had to start commuting in the year 1778 8.C., when Egypt was under the Shepherd Kings, and 458 years before Moses led tlie children of •Israel through the Red Sea., That was about the time the future Assyrian empire was being settled by immigrants from Babylonia." The lucid, dignified, and dispassionate manner In which the Full Court has dealt with what is known as the "Cartoon Cose" is in accordance with the best traditions of British justice, and, if that wero possible, must add to the high esteem in which the Supreme Court Bench of New Zealand is held by the people of the Dominion. The AttorneyGeneral had applied for the committal for contempt of Court of William Blomkield, printer and publisher, Auckland, and William Joun Geddis, printer and publisher, of Napier,' part-proprietors of the Auckland Observer, in which the cartoon objected to as a libel on Mn. Justice Edwards was published on September 6. Though one of their own number was the subject of a cartoon whieh, in the words of His

Honour Sir Joshua Williams) "any decent journalist would be ashamed to publish," the strong personal disapprobation of the picture which the Bench, and most other people, for the matter of that, would bo likely to cxpcricnce was not permitted to in the slightest degree mar the very able, dispassionate, and informative statement of the law of the subject presented by the learned Judges in dismissing the charge against the accused persons. "The cartoon," said Mr. _ Justice Chapman, "is a grossly ■ improper production," yet lie did not think the Court would bo justified in acting summarily, because the picture, related to past litigation, and contained no general attack upon the impartiality of the Judge. It was not likely, therefore, prejudicially to affect the interests of future litigants, and it would be difficult to say that it amounted to au interference with the administration of justice. The position was stated'in an exceedingly clear and able manner by Sir Joshua Williams. He stated that "no doubt the picture was coarse and insulting," nevertheless, looking at all the circumstances, lie did not think it had been shown that the publication so tended to obstruct the administration of justice as to call for the interference of the Court by its summary procedure. The care of the Judges to uphold the rights of the Press as regards legitimate criticism and fair comment, and to see that persons charged with offences have the fullest opportunity of defending themselves was specially noticeable. The case ha 3 several important features, and the judgments will be very valuable for future reference.

The "statesmanlike outlook' 1 which characterises the naval policy of New Zealand, as outlined by the Prime Minister on Tuesday; has created _a favourable impression in Australia, judging from the appreciative comments of the Sydney Morning Herald ; and it also meets with the general approval of the London Press. Neither Australia nor New Zealand has any desire to interfere with each other's domestic arrangements, as regards defence or any other question; but it may be found possible to give effect in certain directions to the Herald's suggestion that the two countries should co-operate for common ends, How far such co-operation may be practicable will become evident as time goes on. We are close and parts of one great Empire. 'It is therefore quite obvious that the defence' systems of the Dominion and the Commonwealth should, as far as possible, bo made to link in with one another, and that both should be in accordance with some general scheme for protecting the interests of the EniDire as a whole.

Total passengers rarrio:'. Per 1 Per 1 Tear. Killed. Injured. killed, injured. 19i* 356 15,433 2,759,970 73,144 1909 253 10(311 3,623,606 • 86,458 1908 381 11.556 2,335,983 77,017 1907 fiO 13,041 1,432,631 67,012 1906 359 10,764 2,222,691 74,131 1905 637 10,457 1,375,856 70,654 Ajxemga 2,275,123 74,736 mi.. 11,'-;;