The Scales of Injustice

NZ Truth, Issue 1209, 31 January 1929, Page 3

The Scales of Injustice

CONSIDER the scales of justice, how they wobble. A man, out. of season, killed a few opossums, and bowled over some wood pigeons, kakas, wekas, and a South Island crow. Fines totalling £70 were inflicted by the magistrate, who remarked that had he the power, he would have considered sending the culprit to prison. Two roughs m Auckland assaulted two persons. The roughs appeared, before a magistrate, who adjourned the case for six months, saying that if the conduct of the accused was satisfactory, he would dismiss the case without recording a conviction. The two accused had to pay £15 compensation to the two men they had assaulted, one of whom was severely hurt. ' For killing birds, one man was fined £70 v For assault, with the possibility of inflicting sferious injury or death, two men were ordered to pay £7/10/- each, and let loose again on the world without any other punishment. • Truly, the law is an ass.