A GUTTERING FUTURE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 January 1928, Page 1

A GUTTERING FUTURE

The spirit of cheery optimism common to humanity at New Year induces the Alayor of AA'anganui (Afr A\\ Rogers) to hope that some day there shall be only State lawyers. Thus plaintiff and defendant will be represented by Government servants and everything in the legal garden will he lovely, «wi-

pecially tho verdicts. In timo jthe State servant industry might be so arranged as to have none but selected Government juries. Lawyers are sprinkled strongly through all the Governments of all British lands, and their Roman hand is observable in. all our laws. May one hope that they will strive to prove that the Mayor of Wanganui is wrong and that the Devil’s Own still lias a kick left? Legal luminaries who forsee his Worship wresting their emoluments from them might argue that if only State lawyers, why net a monopoly in State doctors, engineers, bakers, butchers and grocers? Thus in the course of time you might get Hat rates for influenza, mortgagees, chops, steaks, sausages and bags of sugar. TO pursue the idea to its logical conclusion, the whole of society should he governments 1 used. One of the first things to bo due under the Mayor’s scheme would be to alioli.sli all newspapers that are not State papers, and thus the population will browse solely on Hansard, the “Gazette” and Blue Books. Life would be standardised. With the appointment of State butchers ambition would be the first victim in tho Government slaughter yards.