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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 167, 14 July 1880, Page 2

The Judicial Commission of which we made mention some weeks ago has been appointed. Its duties will be to enquire into the constitution, practice, and procedure of the several courts of judicature, viz, the Supreme Courts (including the Court of Appeal), Magistrates' Courts, Courts of P"etty Session , and Courts of J. P.'s, and what change might with advantage be made in the practice and procedure of those Courts, and to obtain what other information they may deem advisable. The Commission comprises the following gentlemen : — The five judges of the Supreme (jourt, the Attorney-General, So-licitor-General, Messrs C. t). it. Ward, and J. E. Macdonald, District Court Judges j Mr E. C. Barstow, R. M.; Messrs Wui. Gisborne, C. C. Bowen, John Sharp, Justices of the Peace ; and Messrs K. T. Conolly, Eobert Stout, J. N. Wilson, Geo. Harper, Allan Holmes, A. E. T. Devore, Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. His Honor the Chief Justice has been appointed chairman, and Mr Martin Cbapman, barrister and solicitor, secretary to the Commission. A Melbourne telegram of June 28 says :-*- A terrible and fatal accident occurred at Bright yesterday. The Eev E. B. Bayne, Episcopalian Minister, who was recently appointed to this district, and formerly of South Yarra, accompanied by his two. sous and a -Mr Warmer, was on his way to Freeburgh to fulfil an engagement, and whilst crossiug the Ovens River, the buggy with its occupants was capsized. The whole party was drowned. A number of men were engaged all' day in dragging the riyer, aud recovered three of the bodies— those of Mr Bayne, Mr Warmer, and the eldest boy, who was found clasped in the latter's arms. The N. Z. Times, after giving a host of reasons why the aeat.of- Government "should - noHjeremoved to Christcburchi.says :— lt stands to reason that such a change would be most disastrous to Wellington in its immediate effects. The place has lived upon the seat of Government and grown up to the seat of Government, and speculated upon the seat of Government ; and if it were | suddenly to cease to be the seat of Government it would collapse like a bladder pricked by a pin, and would not recover itself for years to come. Five lads bolted from the Kohimarama Naval Training School on Sunday last, but were captured by the police. The Hon Mr Peacock has given notice of the following motions in the Legislative Council: — "That, inasmuch as the finances of the colony are in a very unsatisfactory state requiring the strictest retrenchment to place them on a better basis, and to prevent as much as possible an enormous increase of taxation, it is a request from the. Council to the Government to exclude from the Estimates such a sum of money as would be required for the usual honorarium to members of this branch of the Legislature." Referring to Mr Seddon's four hours' flow of words the other night, the N. Z. Times says:— lt occupies over forty columns, consisting of three hundred and eight inches, twenty-six feet, or "more than eight solid yards; and that according to his own figuring, this mass of verbiage cost the country no less a sum than £305. If auy example were wanting of the frightful prodigality of the preseut Hansard system, it is afforded now. The cost of this one speech alone would have made a mile and a half of tracks, and paid an honorarium and a half to a member of the Lower or the Upper House, while it would have gone far towards procuring that steam communication with the West Coast, Mr Seddon's " observations " on which, a few nights later, must have cost at least another £100. * * * * ' ; * * Three hundred and five pounds for one speech ! and such a speech ! As the mad says in the play, " This is too much ! " ! A deputation (Bays the Post of Saturday) consisting of the Hon W. Reynolds, M.L.C., Mr Barron, M.H.R., Mr Driver, M.H.R , and Messrs Rattray, Paterson (of Paterson and M'Leod), and Hogg, waited on the Hon the Colonial Secretary, to urge the Government not to abolish the system of bottle licenses, but to retain it in the new Licensing Bill, at any rate so far as Otago wa3 concerned. The deputation contended that bottle licenses offered rather discouragement than facilities for excessive drinking, because people obtained a bottle of liquor at a shop for moderate home consumption, instead of having to go to a public house for it, and so running the risk of being tempted to drink. The argument that women are able, to obtain liquor at bottle-licensed shops unknown to their husbands by having it charged under other heads, and so =. being able to contract drinking habits unrestrained, was declared to be wholly without foundation iv fact, judging from past experience, and the cry was declared to have been artfully started by the publicans. At the same time, t was pointed out that even did this abuse really threaten, is could be prevented -by a judicious system of watchfulness, and still more by increasing the bottle license fee from the present rate, £10, t0 ,£30, which would practically confine the trade to respectable shops not likely to be guilty of improper practice, or of conniving at deception. Mr Dick promised that the representations of the deputation should receive the most careful consideration of th~e Govdrntuenti

As an instance of the dearth of work in Wairarapa it may be stated that the Masterton Borough Council called tenders the other day for a small job — carpenter's work, repairs to a small culverfr=-and;- twelve tenders were-rgceived for it, the highest being £7 10s and the lowest £2 103. The successful tenderer, it was stated, would not make 3s per day at bis contract.

The following appears in a Home exchange mceived per i last-mail : — "A meeting described .as . $"- National Demonstration of Women was held on Thursday evening, May 6, in St James' Hall, to support the claim of female ratepayers to the Parliamentary franchise. •■■ Ladies were admitted free; and gentlemen occupying the galleries paid 2s '6d each. Previous to the opening of the meeting a deputation of working women from Westminster entered the hall in procession, carrying a banner bearing the description ' Women's Rights,' and the following sarcastic reference to the exclusion of women from the suffrage: ' We're far too low to vote the tax, but not too low to pay.' The members of this and of another deputation from Whitechapel were accommodated with a conspicuous place at one of the corners of the platform. The hall was thronged, the ladies being largely in the majority, and among the attendants were a number of working women, who arrived in procession. An overflowing meeting was, therefore, held in St. James, Restaurant, under the presidency of Mrs Surr. Viscountess Harberton presided at the meeting in St. James' Hall. There were several ladies of title on the platform, and a large number of female delegates came from various parts of the country. The , Viscountess having refuted some common errors [on the subject of women's suffrage, earnestly advocated the right of women ratepayers lo vote. Several other ladies addressed the audience, and resolutions were carried in accordance with the object of the meeting."