The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1891.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 45, 13 October 1891, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1891.

Wj: k':<rn from the Noitli Otngo Times (.lint at (lio At-'liburlon railway station the I! or.. Mr ShnmHd, M.L.A., attempted to {,'{■ t on llio train wlirn in notion, but was prevenled by a watchful porter, who c!;\Kpcd llio honorable genlleman round tic waist witli n grasp that would not have discredited Rlioderick Dim, when

"round Fitz.larnes his arms he flung," and so the honorable legislator missed the train. It is one of the rules of the railway service that no one shall be permitted to enter a train while it is in motion, and the porter, no doubt, thought a member of the Legislative Council a good subject on which to illustrate the benefits of the rule. We contend that this rule is ultra vires, and that no railway official has any legal right to put his hands on any person attempting, or about to attempt, to get into a carriage when the train is in motion. The proper course is to warn the person and if he neglects that caution and gets into the carriage, the" guard should inform the officer in charge of the next station, who would then proceed in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works Act to have the offender punished. Let us suppose that the Hon. Mr Shrimski had been a big powerful man, instead of the reverse as he is, and had resisted the porter with the result that both men fell on the metals and serious or even fatal injuries were caused to one, or both, of them, who would be to blame ? Certainly not the passenger ; and further should an action for damages be brought against the railway authorities, the Commissioners would certainly have a verdict given against them. It is reported that £5000 has been raised amongst the Maoris in the central districts in order to obtain a competent legal opinion on the subject as to whether tfie confiscation of lands after the Waikato and Taranaki wars, was technically defective under international law and the law of warfare. If this rumour is true a rich harvest will be gleaned by the " gentlemen of the long robe," while the number of pauper Maoris will be augmented by thousands. The discontent, and consequent trouble, which must inevitably arise from the re-opening of such a subject, cannot be over estimated. Of course we are safe in assuming the legal opinion " to be obtained " is certain to be in favor of the plaintiff parties commencing an action. Business is business,

A settlek in the Feilding Small Farm Block informs .us that the unemployed in Wellington, consisting, of men who came from Canterbury, are to be sent up to work on tW continuation of London's Branch joad,^ leading up to the Coal Creek Block. If this be the case it is not quite fair to the small settlers already on the adjacent lands, who have relied on that class of work to keep them going.