Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1893. Difference of Opinion.

Manawatu Herald, 20 April 1893, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 1893. Difference of Opinion.

The Ministerially managed Wellington newspaper commences a leader with " The Minister of Lands deserves the thanks of the country for the firmness with which he has, ever since he assumed office, upheld the land laws which it is his duty to administer." Thi9 is a bold attempt by one Minister to put a good face on the Taranaki prosecutions of another Minister. We suppose we must allcw for prejudice but to arrive at a jnsfc appreciation of his actions we are saved from any personal statements, having had the good fortune to publish the calm opinion of a Judge of the Supreme Court. The Judge, from his seat on the bench, said " this plan of employing auditors as private detectives was most discreditable and he would not be doing his dnty if he did not say it boldly and openly to the jury." We hold, as everyone, except a most rabid partisan, must hold, that the calm opinion of a judge is of much more weight than the utterances of a Ministerial leaderwriter. The Ministerial newspaper characterises the remarks of the judge as "very ill-advised." It considers "the Minister of Lands has done his duty well and the country will appreciate his magnificent defence of the public interest !" The judge defined the proper course, which was, to have consigned the application made by Pease in April 1891 to the waste paper or to have sent it back with a proper form to be filled up. This does not seem much to expect of the Lands Department. It appears however to have been too much, as neither course was adopted, and, as the judge pointed out, " instead of that the application had gone in with the others, and, although it was not successful, it was hunted up and made the subject of this prosecu tion." This is a Ministers idea of a magnificent defence of public interests on the part of a fellow Minister I •