The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1427, 29 April 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1881.

It would seem that Reefton is not possessed of sufficient accommodation for the safe keeping for eight days of a man who on a coroner’s warrant is committed to the Resident Magistrate’s Court in the same town to be formally charged with murder* And so the country is put to the expense of his removal (of course in charge of one or two constables) 77 or 78 miles to Hokitika, which with his removal back again will occupy four out of the eight days. The excursion will no doubt benefit the health of the accused man, and strengthen him for what is to come ; albeit this was a contrary direction to the way he was taking before his apprehension ; but then he will enjoy the satisfaction that the excursion will be at the expense of a paternal and generous Government, who is at the same time sending out its civil servants round the country with the view of curtailing expenditure in the various departments of the State. We will not worry our readers with a maze of figures, which is usual, to point out the absurdity of such an arrangement—of the coach fares to Greymouth, thence to Kumara by tram, and from hence to Hokitika by coach again, and of the custodians’ additional allowances for traveling, &c.—to be repeated on Monday next. But if this be within the pale of the investigations of the Commissioners, Messrs Seed and Batkin—who, by-the-by were fellow-passengers hither from Greymouth with the accused man—we think they may be able to suggest that there is room for improvement in the economy of carrying out the law in these parts of the British dominions.