The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPT. 22, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 438, 22 September 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPT. 22, 1877.

The State prosecution ot Mr. George Jones, who is charged with having criminally libelled the Hon. the AttorneyGeneral, will, it is understood, take place at the forthcoming session of the Supreme Court, to commence on the first of next month. We, however, see difficulties in the way of so speedy a hearing of the case. How the Hon. the AttorneyGeneral and other Ministers, whose evidence will, in all probability, be required, can vacate their seats in the House, to make a prolonged stay in Dunedin, it will doubtless puzzle most people to understand. But we presume that as they had a great deal to do with fixing the date of the prosecution, tliev see some way out of what appears to us to be a difficulty. They were certainly not unaivare of the probability that they would be required as witnesses in the case, as evidenced by remarks of honourable members consequent upon the question put by Mr. Re:-;;s for information regarding the 2.J0 ; 000-acro block about which there has been so much spoken and written. On that occasion Messrs. Whitaker and Fox, whilst objecting to ail'ord any information with reference to the reported leasing by tne Government of the said block, stated that Mr. Jones would be able to subpoena the Premier and any other members of the Government, at the same time knowing full well that if such a course were adopted it would seriously afi'ect the conduct of the business of the country. What would the House do without- the presence of the Premie]*, toe AttorneyGeneral, and possibly one or two other members of the Government ] A printer's what do yon call it ? stmding by our chair, suggests that there would be some hope in such a case of getting through the work of legislation for which honourable members have congregated. Of course, no one would believe this for one moment, after the experiences of the present session. If the amount of talking indulged in by honourable members be any evidence of the amount of work performed, there never was such a Parliament and ' such a session. Hansard already numbers one thousand pages of the wisdom and witticisms of members of Parliament, and. judging from the business yet to be done, there is every promise of another thousand pages. It would be a terrible calamity if Parliament should have to be prorogued to enable Ministers to give evidence in the Wmi'AKEitJones libel case, and yet we suppose that this is about the best thing that could be done under the circumstances. If they wei - e absent in Dunedin, and the House in session, their seats might be jeopardised ; whereas if Parliament were prorogued they could get their wives and families down to Dunedin and prepare | for a long sojourn away from the turmoil and trouble of agitations against landsharking, which must be so distasteful to the sensitive natures of honourable members ; secure from Sir Geouge Giiey's and Mr. Pees' unkind treatment, and from the necessity of making :miserable appeals to be allowed to remain in power. We see nothing that would answer half so well, all things considered, as prorogation—unless, indeed, Ministers bade i.dieu for ever to the crimson cushions upon which they have so oft rested their weary limbs and stolen forty winks ; to Bellamy's, where they have been enabled to procure pabulum for their speeches, when jaded and .fairly, used up; to Mr. A. J. Burns, than whom no better friend, in point of intelligence, fixty of purpose, ancl adherence to his party, could be found ; and to Mr. Y. Pyice, who, in order

to vary the monotony of Ldcal'Option and Education debates, snores " the happy hours away " until some opportunity- of making a joke suddenly presents itself and arouses him to life. It would be hard linns ; but doubtless ifc will come to this, i-, i -