The Globe. FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1874.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 17, 19 June 1874, Page 2

The Globe. FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1874.

We hope that immediate action will be taken on the opinion expressed by the Resident Magistrate yesterday in Court, as to the necessity for inquiry into the manner in which the Charitable Home is conducted. The Resident Magistrate expressed no opinion as to where the blame lay, but he stated that he should think it his duty to lay the matter before the Government. Rather more than three months ago a case was brought into the Resident Magistrate’s Court, in which a man named Jacob Swenson was charged with assaulting the master of the house, and another man named John Carter was also charged at the time with using abusive and threatenlanguage to the same officer. On the hearing of these cases it was considered necessary to adjourn the first one, and with regard to the second, it was clearly proved by the plaintiff’s own admission that he had locked up the defendant in consequence of his refusing to obey certain orders, and this being considered by the magistrate to be in excess of the powers possessed by the master the prisoner was discharged. After the lapse of a week the case of assault was disposed of by the defendant being fined 20s, or in default 48 hours, and as the prisoner was receiving charitable aid at the time, we may reasonably suppose he was compelled to adopt the latter alternative. The next time on which the master and inmates of the Charitable Home appeared in Court, was yesterday, and now the previous positions were reversed, and the master appeared as defendant in a case of assault. The charge was clearly proved, and in consequence Mr C. Hamilton was fined iOSjhis Worship expressing the opinion we have given above. Now it is perfectly clear that there must be something radically wrong, in the management of the Home, or some organised insubordination existing among the inmates, to render it necessary that the time of the Police Court should be taken up by squabbles between these parties. Either the master has not sufficient power delegated to him, and in consequence is compelled to call in the strong arm of the law to help him in his quarrels with those who are residing in the house, or there are at present some persons there, who are trying to breed disturbance, and if so they ought at once to be ejected. It is not to be supposed that this sort of thing is to go on, and an inquiry w r ould soon find out on which side the fault lay. It is more than probable that there are faults on both sides, and it is certainly evident that it is most desirable that the power of the master and the duties of the inmates should be more defined than is at present the case. As the population increases, so will the number of people who apply for charitable aid ; and the position to be filled by the person in charge will become more onerous every year. Very lew people are fit for the post, and if the present master is so, it would be a thousand pities that he should be dismissed, but if he is not, the sooner that those who have the power of appointment find a fresh one, the better both for the institution, and those whom necessity compels to become temporary residents there.