The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper of the West Coast. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29,1885. RESIGNATION OF THE FEILDING JUSTICES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1493, 29 October 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper of the West Coast. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1885. RESIGNATION OF THE FEILDING JUSTICES.

have put themselves m a somewhat anomalous position by their precipif tate and unexplained action, if there be any grounds at all for their strong step, , they Jiave materially aggravated the evil. If they have good grounds for what they bavedoneV -, they ought to say so openly and, courageously like men, and the 1 country, would applaud them for tfoing.so. As it is, however, 'there l is nothing to show tnat their* action" •was based, upon adequate grounds, . It wx>uld ; be satisfactory if the whole triattar were cleared up From per-gonal-knowledge-of- the newly-ap-* pointed Justice, whose elevation to the .. Commission of the i ßeage"'hHs caused the others to resign, we know of no serious objection to 'his appointment. He is as well or better qualified fofr'the. 1 position byedu-/ 1 cation, ability^ and' m other respects than eight out of every twelve , , wjio, now attach' J.T\ to their names." We never heard of any imputation against his nxoral , character. lie may be \ perhaps^ m .priyate life., a little too' impulsive and plainspqken^ at times but that is abojit. the worat^ that can be said of him, so JFar as we know. -If anything can be 'alleged ibrx sustained to jusdfyltheconduct of the other Justices m resigping^ it is" but f right : and ''<■ prripeir that the \?hole facts should be made known.' uhtil then ' jrje prbfet^ believe that there must be some cause, of m ; personal - s and. private nature, which has induced the Justices to resign.; arid ; that sot far as thelast-appojnted J.P. is concerned, \ to whom exception has bejen .taken,, no jreasonaole grounds, ofe 3 the 1 plea of | character, om judicial ' capacity, can be, ;urged , m vjustjfication of the somewhat peculiar course others have; seen, < fit \ to; ; i^urßuei'^>.^i> :-■' ■■>■■'] -!-,.■» fc.?/ <

•■ y- V ■'■ ' c; *• V " &■ \ * Thb New Zealand' Times refers JnJts leading columns to the resignnation of the Feilclingi because of some objection they en. tertain to a fourth who has been appointed. Our contemporary observes,;—" This is a very curious affair. On what ground did the resigning Justices object to being associated withi tlie newly-appointed Magistrate ? Had they anything to object to m his personal or public character? Were they convinced that he would not faithfully, discharge the duties 'of the position ?-' t>id ; they i take, exception to his antecedents or his social standing, or what ? The .p^icfyaye alright to put these, . questions, because the' matter has a ' direct bearing on the administration .of justice. .-•■ Ifrth.e retiring Justices ; hold that the administration of justice will be prejudiced by the obnoxious Magistrate , officiating on the Bench, then this ought to be openly and explicitly stated, so that the merits of his appointment might be publicly canvassed ; and if it were prpredP tq I £ Jjafft be^n an improper appointment, this would at least haye been , the means, .of operating as 'some check upon any i recurrertce of such . a . thing.. If the appointment were such ah* obviously wrohj^ one as to demand the instant resignation of the other Magistrates m the district, ■ then it ought; to (He rescinded,- and should bring; deser r yed censure on the , headj ; o^ ,the ; ] 'Minister responsible for making ii ] \ 'But at present we ; haye. nothjng ' i whatever of a definite character ■! to show that this is the case." ' We are inclined to agree with the new _ ■ Zealand jTw?^ m its expressed op- ' | inioQ that the resigning JuUicei ]