The Globe. THURSDAY JANUARY 10, 1878.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1202, 10 January 1878, Page 2

The Globe. THURSDAY JANUARY 10, 1878.

His Honor Mr Justice Johnston has on more occasions than one called attention to the anomalous position occupied by the legal gentlemen who represent the Crown in the Supreme Court, and who are known as Crown Prosecutors. As his Honor points out, it appears that under the present system no one is responsible for the conduct of any criminal case from the committal in the Magistrate's Court to the Supreme Court. It is true that to some extent the Crown Prosecutor looks after it, but really it is left mostly in the hands of the police. To them is entrusted, in a sort of a way, the task of getting up the evidence and preparing the case generally. This cannot but be a most unsatisfactory state of things. The members of the police force active and vigilant though they no doubt are cannot be expected to have legal minds, and to be euabled to see what evidence is needed to establish a charge. This could only be done by a trained legal practitioner. His Honor Mr. Justice Johnston, whose large experience in administering the law has shown him this radical defect, has on more than one occasion called attention to the necessity which exists for a public prosecutor, or some such official whose duty it shall be to get up the cases for trial at the Supremo Court. Such an officer would bo responsible that a miscarriage of justice did not take place. It may happen that unless we alter our system some flagrant breach of the law will go unpunished, and then perhaps the Government will take the matter into their consideration, with a view to an alteration.

At a meeting of the Presbytery of Dunedin, held the other day, the Rev, Dr, Stuart moved the following resolution :—" That in view of the Education Act recently passed by Parliament, by which Bible reading is excluded from the common schools of the colony, this Pres. bytery devise some method by which the children of the Church may receive instruction in the Word of God when practicable on some week day in addition to the Sabbath." In tho course of his speech tho mover of tho above resolution eaid that although, ho would have been flowed if ita Eduction Bill bad jpgpsd

as Mr. BoAven had introduced it, still he was glad the question was settled, and settled upon tho whole in the way that would secure to the colony a valuable secular education, including not only the fostering of common schools, but the support of High Schools. This approval of the Education Act in such a quarter will, we hope, be imitated elsewhere. If the Churches throughout the colony are true to their principles, instead of wasting time in passing fruit less resolutions regarding our educational system, as they are almost sure to do, they will set to work to supply the necessary machinery for imparting religious education to the children under their charge. They may rest assured that they will be only wasting time, if they endeavour to raise an agitation against the Education Act recently passed. As the Hon. 0. 0. Boavcu put it, the other day, tho system now in vogue is ono which can in no way injure the religious feelings of any class of the community. But, because the elementary schools do not give religious education, it must not therefore be neglected.

The Hon. W. H. Reynolds addressed his constituents at Port Chalmers on Tuesday evening last. He began, of course, with a history of the defeat of the Atkinson Government, and the accession to power of the Grey Cabinet, but as he throws no light upon these events, we need not reproduce his version of them here. He then touched on the finances of the colony, and the question of a change in the incidence of taxation. His remarks on these points, as reported, are far from clear, and will. Ave think, help but little to aid his constituents at arriving at a sound conclusion. His reasons for supporting tho colonialisation of the Land Fund are given in the folloAving words: — " I Avould have much preferred to have continued under the compact of 1856, and the Acts ratifying the same; but, gentlemen, I found that Avas impossible. I found that fifty-four members out of eighty had resolved Avhenever the opportunity offered to seize the Land Revenue of the provinces and make it Colonial Revenue; and that the number of those members Avould be augmented next session, because Canterbury Avas selling her land A r ery fast, and, after her lands were sold, a number of her members would join to absorb the Land Fund of Otago. Such being the case, I AA r as forced to chose between two evils, and I rather preferred to support the Avholesale robbery of the present Government, than tho pilfering habits of its predecessors." These remarks were receiA r ed with cheers. He next refers to the promise of the present Government to re-adjust the representation next session, and if they only do that, and do aAvay with the inequalities Avhich now exist, he Avould not regret having kept them in office. It seems that the Hon. Mr. Reynolds is a very important man in his oavu estimation. It is to him. it would appear, that the colony is indebted for the Grey Ministry. "I may say," he said, •' that I was the chief party in keeping them in office. I had the key of the position and kept tho present GoA r ernmcnt in office." We regret, therefore, that Mr Reynolds thought fit to give his constituents so little information as to the merits of the present Cabinet. The speech appears to have been a poor effort, so poor indeed that the Press Agency has wisely not even telegraphed a brief outline of it.