NEGRO JUSTICE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3159, 10 August 1917, Page 5

NEGRO JUSTICE

NEW ZEALAND CHAPLAIN'S ].. EXPERIENCE. , A chaplain who left with a reinforcement of Now Zealand troops, writing to a friend in Wellington, tells of an incident which occurred at a port of "I spent all my time ashore, he writes, "executing tho ,nien's commissions and making hundreds of purchases. Among other things, I bought a quantity of fruit and curios in tho market. I asked tho blaok woman to have them all packed for mo by the afternoon, and left £1 deposit. I had to make a hurried return to tho ship, and, in settling up, forgot about tho £1 deposit. Tho next mornin" I remembered and returned to the market. Tho good lady tried to shuffle out of paying the money to me, andll had, eventually, to got a black constablo to take her to the court. The market had become packed by this time, but I refused to be swindled, and out to the court we went. A black' sergeant tried the case, and I began to see.that the colour was telling—the case was going against mo. So I asked to bo taken to the Hagistrate-also black. Here assrn I was apparently disbelieved. Then 1 mado my final move. , '"How dare you,' I said, 'tako this woman's word against the word of a British officer. Unless she gives me £1 at once, I will go straight to the Commism"Sho offered mo Ms., but I brushed past the Magistrate into the corridor. I had not gono ten yards before 1 was followed bv tho Magistrate and constables, and the whole court, imploring me to come back. As a matter of fact, 1 had not time to see the Commissioner, so I went back and tho money was meekly given to me."