CANTERBURY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4344, 20 February 1875, Page 3

CANTERBURY.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.); ' Christchurch, February 17. Those gentlemen in your city whose duty it is to furnish telegraphic material from day to day to the local Canterbury papers have caused as much perplexity by the contradictory bits of news they have lately flashed across in the matter of the appointment of new judges, and the new district assigned to each member of the Bench, as the Auckland intelligencers have done in their endeavors to explain the doings of- the native purchase officers engaged in settling the Ohineninri question, or at present interviewing Tawhiao and the Maori magnates over the A ukati line. The last tip is that Judge Johnston goes to Dunedin, to relieve Mr. Justice Chapman—not yet resigned, nor, it is said, about to do so—instead of coming to Christchurch to take charge, vice Judge Gresson, who resigns from April 1 prox The feeling here is strong that the scheme of re-distribution should have been matured before anv attempt was made to put it into execution. It is understood that Mr. Joshua S. Williams, one of the newly created dignitaries, who left for Dunedin a few days ago, goes there to assume office at the expiration of the month, while of Mr. Justice Chapman’s retirement nothing has yet transpired. The Chief Justice has been staying for some days with his brother Judge Gresson, and if well grounded reports can be credited the latter has been somewhat harshly dealt with, the first intimation he received of the proposed changes being that he would he expected to assume charge of the Nelson judicial district within one month of the receipt ,of the letter. Of course, this mainly caused his resignation, but not without sharp remonstrances passing from the Judge’s Chambers to Wellington. Speculation is rife as to who shall succeed the Registrar-General. Silly people say that had your Mayor not assumed his civic robes of office, ■ he might, perhaps, unblushingly re-attempt the management of the Laud Transfer Department, But, of course, such appointment is now out of the question. For the office of District Land Registrar at Christchurch, public opinion points to Mr. R. D’Oyly, the present Examiner of Titles and a barrister of long: standing in the province, as the probable and well-suited successor of Mr. Jodi. Williams.

While on the subject of judicial changes, I may as well state that a strong feeling exists that the appointment of Mr. Justice Johnston to this district would effect a great improve-: ment in the present state of things judicial, as. a firmer hand than that of good-natured Judge Gresson is much needed to keep up to anything like a decent standard the intellect and capabilities of Crown Prosecutors and local paid magistrates. Very few sittings terminate without some singular shortcomings of our Crown Prosecutor causing general and unfavorable comment; and as to our R.M.s, since the loss sustained by Mr: Bowen’s departure, the most charitable people say that these gentlemen’s ability and knowledge are considerably surpassed by their good intentions. Of the number, however, I might well except Mr. Bowen’s successor, Captain Mellish, who I think is the right man in the right place, and will do credit to the recommendation of the Minister of Justice. ;

The Lytteltonians are somewhat surprised’ that Government should delay so long pensioning* off their local magistrate. Dr. Donald, as through infirmities, old age, and other causes a change is becoming absolutely necessary.' What I may call the joke'of the hour, viz., the great cab question, is far from being settled. The City Council still keeps the cabf stands strongly . barricaded, the cabbies are constantly on the move, and a cab company is spoken, of as likely to be floated in a few days, forty. summonses have been issued by the police during last week against cabbies for not “moving on." The climax of absurdity was reached when* .the Commissioner of Police caused some two hundred citizens to bp sworn in as special constables. , Then. advertisements appeared informing .‘‘special, constables and other citizens ” that bludgeons - and- other weapons of offence...were on , sale at so-and-so’s shop, and the . whole was crowned by the act of a wag who, by some means or other, managed tp hoodwink the Tiniest The individual in question .contrived, at a late hour, to smuggle. into the editorial sanctum what on the face of it appeared'tb be an advertisement, signed “By order,”, and calling upon all -specials, to,meet on the following early morn—6.30 —opposite the .City Hotel, for parade and. drill. The editor zealously volunteered a . paragraph under,. the leader calling public, attention,to the " general order,” the result being a muster of disgusted burghers, whose patriotism gave way before the cold exigencies of the,hour.' The- Times did,not take the joke kindly, hut made matters, worse in a subsequent apologetic local, by .complaining of the unseemly conduct of the unknown joker; and stigmatising the whole thing as disgraceful. , , While rumors of railway mismanagement reach us from Auckland, and sometimes from Dunedin, Canterbury railways are giving ample food just now for public discussion, and some of the local journals lose no opportunity of denouncing the manner in which they are conducted, and whatthey call the want, or the bungling, of system. The fact is that Mr. Maude, the Secretary of Public .Works,, has a mania for handling and interfering, jvith all possible departmental details which may come within his reach, and his continual and overzealous dabbling into every matter of official routine which be chooses to consider himself, competent to deal with, has had, to., all appearance, the , result of weakening the Government considerably. A collision between two trains, the consequences of which might have proved very serious indeed, happened some weeks ago within the l.ytteltoa tunnel. The public naturally became anxious to know the why and wherefore of the case ; the Secretary of Public Works took upon . himself to hold an inquiry, in , propria persondf and when it terminated after three days’ duration, no signs were made by the Government of an intention, to apprise the public of the causes of the accident. Many weeks have elapsed, and nothing has yet transpired. The railway engineer, Mr. Warner, a gentleman of undoubted ability and considerable experience, who arrived lately .from England, where for years he had sole control of some of the most important Metropolitan lines, was not allowed to hold the inquiry ; hut a report and general recommendation were only then asked of him, which recommendation he had futilely endeavored to press upon the Government some mouths before, when taking charge and trying to improve the lamentable state of things in railway matters. It is felt very unfair to that gentleman that the public should have been kept in the dark in such a serious matter, the accident having happened entirely through the Government laying aside Mr. Warner’s former recommendations ; and, very naturally, those unacquainted with the case feel inclined to lay the blame upon the departmental officers. The amount of new works initiated by Mr. Warner since his assumption of office, and now in course of construction, reflect the greatest credit upon his energy and skill, and in a few months the railways of Canterbury will certainly be on a footing not equalled by any in the colony. Mr, T.awnon, lately in Mr. Brogden’s service at Wellington, is here in charge of the traffic department, and appears to give general satisfaction. This monstrous job, the Eakaia Bridge, the planking of which structure was found rotting almost before it was completed, and upon the merits and demerits of which official reports

without end are on record, will perhaps be explained shortly. A seemingly last effort has just been made to bring to light the true story of the bridge, by the appointment of a Royal Commission to inquire into the whole case. I say perhaps, as the public is rather taken aback by the selection of the commissioners —Messrs. Inglis, A. Duncan; and Birch. The Superintendent, Mr. Rolleston, is generally credited with having been closely allied with Wm. White and others, whose plans were originally selected, and whose contract at the same time was accepted for. the construction of the bridge. The newly selected commissioners are in a way nominees of the Superintendent, one especially, Sir. Duncan —a respectable seedsman of this town, and lately appointed by his Honor to a seat in the Board of Education.’ No benefit whatever is eVpected to result from' the labors of the commission, vyhoae efforts to unravel the inexplicable mass of evidence which will be placed before them must utterly fail, as previous endeavors have already done. At all events the appointment of uninfluenced men, especially of persons professionally educated, would have been far preferable.