The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 218, 2 December 1854, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Saturday, December 2, 18.04. The second silting of the Supreme Court winch has taken place in this settlement closed a I about 4 o'clock yesterday after noon. When Mis Honor the Judge landed on Sunday last, it was not expected that the

work would be got through so summarily. After all, but little has been done. The present arrangements for the administration of justice in this Province are as unsatisfactory as ever. The grand and petty juries were thanked by His Honor for attending as they did without any legal necessity for so doing. Witnesses bound over to give evidence in cases of very old standing were not forthcoming, simply because'they could get no notice of the arrival of the steamer and no fixed day had been appointed for the sitting of the Court. It was not known till the very last moment whether the indictments would be brought down from Wellington, or whether they were to be prepared here. As it was, the Provincial Solicitor, Mr. Gresson, acted as Crown Prosecutor, but no one in the Province knew for a certainty that an officer charged with the duty of prosecuting for the Crown would not accompany the Court from Wellington. The greatest confusion prevails as to the payment of the Supreme Court expences. We know that a portion of them are paid by the General Government; we know also that £200 was placed on the Estimates for the Provincial expenditure under the head of expenses of sitting of Supreme Court. The Judge's salary, and that of the Deputy Registrar are defrayed by the General Government, so that the expences of one Court of Justice, during one sitting in- one Province, are paid by two different Governments. This is an anomaly which ought not to be passed over in silence. The Provincial Governments are specially debarred by the Constitution Act from any control over the Supreme Court; they oughtl not, therefore, to be culled upon to pay any part of the expences incurred. The rapidity with which the Estimates were passed at the close of the second session of the General Assembly has led to several oversights which will, we hope, be amended at the next sitting. The measures for the better administration of justice throughout the islands, of which notice was given by the Fitz Gerald ministry during the first session, were suddenly burked by the unexpected and unfortunate prorogation of the house. Some measure must be passed ere lon°- for making the sittings of the Court more frequent, and for determining at the same time the days on which the Court may be expected to sit, so that Jurymen and Witnesses may be compelled to waste as little time as possible in dancing attendance needlessly. Such a measure would involve an improvement in steam communication which might be very well made without any very great additional expense. The bonus we are now paying is quite sufficient to insure better accommodation and more punctual visits than the steamer "Nelson" affords us. That she is paying her owners well there can be no doubt. We must take care that she pays us. Above all, we must remember that upon good steam communication depends the very existence of a General Government, unless it is to became a curse to us instead of a blessing.