SUPREME COURT, HOKITIKA.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1758, 24 March 1874, Page 2

SUPREME COURT, HOKITIKA.

PRESENTMENT OF THE GRAND JURY. The foreman of the Grand Jury delivered the following presentment :— Yot/r Honor — Tho Grand Jury again give you a cordial and hearty welcome amongst us, and thank you for your valuable charge and continued interest which you take in the prosperity and happiness of the people of Westland. In expressing ourselves thus, wo believe that we are simply conveying to your Honor the sentiments of the entire community. We regret with you the extent of the criminal calendar on this occasion, but as it is exceptional, we trust that it may be viewed as more the result of accident, than indicative of decay in our moral and social condition, and here we would embrace tho opportunity of bearing testimony to the zeal and efficiency of our police force.

We would suggest the enlargement of the grand jury panel in such a manner that its numbers may receive augmentation from persons residing in other parts of the proviuce. The Grand Jury venture to express- a hope that the alterations and amendments in the Bankruptcy Laws, which were brought forward in the Legislative Assembly last session will not be lost sight of in the forthcoming one. Tie want of a short, sharp, and decisive means of vesting the debtor's property in the Provisional Trustee immediately upon, and as a consequence of a tiling of a declaration of inability to meet liabilities, opens the door to a very great amount of fraud. We also think that the offence of fraudulent bankruptcy, and departure from the jurisdiction of the Court, should be made a felony, in order to obtain the extradition of absconding debtors from the neighboring colonies. . We attach much importance to the suggestions contained in your address bearing upon our social and political privileges and obligations, which we feel assured must commend themselves to all, and be productive of substantial and permanent good. Too much importance and prominence cannot be given to your remaiks on the proper education and supervision of our youth. But without wishing to trench upon what may be purely Legislative or Magisterial functions, we cannot refrain from again reverting to what we consider to be our pernicious Licensing system, which does and will (if administrated as at present) continue to embarrass and to a great extent neutralise all the efforts of the well disposed, to carry your suggestions into effect. We find by recent numbers of our public prints that no les3 than seventy-three applications for publicans and fourteen for wholesale and bottle licensed have been made this year / for Hokitika alone, and when we consider j the smallness of the population, probably not over from between three to four thousand, it is questionable if a parallel instauce as to numbers can be found amongst civilised nations. Why' twothirds of these houses (which are not wanted) are licensed at all, we are at a loss to conjecture, as we are loth to believe that the mere question of revenue is sufficient either to prolong or render their existence necessary. i We are aware that your Honor has no power to give effect to any suggestions offered in this presentation, but »re have no doubt but that any presentation which you may make will have great weight in the proper quarter. With sentiments of great respect, we are, your Honor's obedient servants, the Grand Jury. D. W. Virtue, . Foreman. His Honor, in reply, thanked the Grand Jury for their complimentary remarks concerning himself. That portion of the administration of justice which provided for the constitution of Grand Juries had repeatedly been commented upon. The chief use of a Grand Jury was to bring home to communities a sense of their responsibilities. Beyosd all doubl there were corresponding disadvantages, and it was not for him to strike a balance. With regard to the laws relating to bankruptcy, he might state that the Aci at present in force in the Colony had been drafted from a Bill which had been introduced in the Imperial Parliament, but had not passed. He was uot prepared to express an opinion as to the laws regulating the licensing system in Westland, but he believed drink to be the cause of more or less, of threefourths the crime committed in the colony. But it should be taken into consideration whether intoxication was not rather a symptom of a disease, than the disease itself. Was there not possibly some deeper cause ? He was much gratified to observe the efficiency of the Police and G;iol departments in Westland, and believed that that efficiency exercised a very co isiderable influence in repressing crime. H s might mention that he was extremely gr.itified to find that permanent settlement was making such rapid strides in, an I to one so long connected with the district, as himself, this fact was specially satisfactory. He again thanked the Grand Jury for the complimentary nature of their remarks, and in conclusion discharged them from their duties.