WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1921, Page 1

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

A VETEKAN’S BIRTHDAY. SIR JAMES CARROLL ENTERTAINED. (Our Sjciiil Correspondent;. WELLINGTON, Aug. 22 There was a most delightful impromptu gathering here on Saturday morning when at only an hour or two’s nothe a large company of citizens of all political colouis assembled in the "Wellington Chamber of Commerce to offer their congratulations and good wishes to Sir James Carroll on the attainment of his sixty-fourth birthday. The Hon J. G. Coates; Postmaster-Gcpiera 1 and Minister of the Public Works, who had hurried away from a Cabinet meeting for the purpose, proposed the toast of the guest’s health in one of the happiest of happy speeches. Conflicting political views, b' said, had made no difference in the personal friendship between Sir James and himself, unless it was to in tensify by a broader perspective his own warm esteem and regard for the most lovable and most loved .of the Dominion's public men. As a lad ol fourteen or fifteen, taking up his rifle in defence of the country. Sir Jaime had won his way through war and service and politics to the highest office in the land, and yet remained among the most modest and kindly as he was among the most ennoble and^eourf eons of t’ e big figures of the Empire. A TRIBUTE AND AN APPEAL. Ther©’were many other high tributepaid to Sir James, all pregnant with the deep notes of sincerity and appreciation, and when be rose to acknowledge the eulogies o c 'is friends walls of the staid chamber resoundc with, such applause as never had echoed around them before. Then for a quarter of ail hour or so tie co-ipnnv ms held in eloquent eager silence I y the silycr-tongued orator who gave ol his best as he bad receive '. Towards lb" conclusion : f the proceeding'- Mr C'cafe: was dragged to his feet again b.v enthusiastic praise for the parts h" V'J played as a’ soidier ol the EmpLe aim U Minister of the Crown, and took the oppnrtun 'y to make :| fervent appeal for patience rml tolerance and generosity lowards the returned man, “who, perhaps, was a hard case, a hit of! the rails, sometimes very tiresome, 11 1 ten discouraging, but sfi'l the man '■ l o had played t' e game in the great advent ire and so done his part in saving the Empire.’’ It was a fitting message for (lie audience to take awa.v from such a gathering. PERVERSE JURIES. T' e “Evening Post,” in commenting upon the perversity of certain juries that .lately have acquitted accused versons against the weigh! of evidence and the clear direction of the presiding judge, speaks out very plainly in regard to t’ e scandal. “TV re'f respecting and .a.«-..hiding cii.eu who has some regard for the sanctity of the law and the obligations of an oath,” it says, “may well regret flint jurors who by r deliberately perverse verdict made themselves the virtual accomplices of the criminal cannot he actually tried by a jury less disposed to sympathise with crime.” In the good old days juries ■that behaved in this fashion could lie called to account and fined or imprisoned ; but in these times they may play . almost any pranks they please with the evidence and their oaths and escape scot free. The “Post’s” remedy for (Instate of‘affairs is not the abolition of the jury system, which has been sadly discredited in the Dominion during tin last year or two, hut an improvement in the method of selecting juries so that the proportion of "good men” may he larger and the proportion of “black sheep” smaller. Till the “black sheen” could be eliminated altogether it still would be necessary, of course, to abol- ; ish the rule requiring unanimity in j criminal cases to secure the effective operation of the law. FERRY SERVICES. The long deferred reply of the manager of the Union Company to the re- 1 quest of the Marlborough public bodies i for lower rates and better conditions on the ferry service between Wellington and Picton has not satisfied shippers - and travellers here that they are being treated generously. Mr Holdsworth ' submits that the company is actually losing money by the present service and that if the returns do not improve it i will be necessary to further raise the t rates. Ho quotes round figures to make . his case good and no one would think , of disputing their approximate accuracy, but the feeling in Wellington to-day is that the charges for the short run across the straits are exorbitantly high. They already are much restricting the i trade and traffic between the two ports < and a further vise would be very likely to bring about a crisis in which ship- j pers and travellers would not he the -| only sufferers. The Union Company serves the country so well in many re- ( speets that an apathetic public is not 1 over critical of its methods, but here 1 is a case in which its patience is very nearly exhausted. < mi in 111 ■ 1