The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 1876.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 119, 31 May 1876, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 1876.

'Tun charge, of larceny, preferred in the Resident Magistrate’s Court yesterday against a Maori, illustrated, in a remarkable degree, .the absolute necessity there is, in a district so thickly populated by Maoris as this one, for the services of a Maori constable and interpreter. At present 'there Is neither attached to ■the Constabulary force in this part of "the Colony, though there are few places •where the 'natives muster in larger ■numbers. 'The R.M. Court was kept •waiting -yesterday some time for an ‘interpreter, and the case against Karcano had very nearly been necessarily adinnvned in the absence of such a linguist. ‘Fortunately the Resident Magistrate /managed to enlist the services of Mr W. Williams, and the matter was dealt •with, hut it may not be always convenient for that gentleman to attend, ho jnav be absent, or a score of other causes may prevent his rendering assistance. Tn that case any Maori prisoner must r.vnit till an interpreter can be obtained, •which may be at any indefinite date. Till very recently, an officer of this .description was attached to the force, and proved of the greatest service, whether in interpreting, in keeping the Maoris in order in town, in serving ■summonses on them, and m many other ways in connection with native affairs. Wallace was an institution with them, ■and Ills influence over the race was of ■great value, not on one but.on repeated n-casions. When he obtained Iris discharge, Major Turner asked that another native constable should he appointed, ’but the reply was that the duties should lv. performed by one of the pakeha Armed Constabulary. This might bo very well, but there is a very material difficulty,. presenting' itself in the fact t’nlt there is not a single member of the force stationed in the district who can rwnk Maori, neither is there one who is Ru innately acquainted with their social habits or customs. It is very evident Urn that in dealing with the Maoris the instructions of the Government cannot ■be carried out, and it is equally'certain "that, if the administration of justice is imt to be crippled in connection with it.he natives, a constable of the kind referred to above is imperatively nccessa rv. We can give another proof of this wed. The man first assaulted at the Knkaramea Hotel the other day has, as w > have previously stated, taken out summonses against two of the Maori party, •v‘ o pot on him, but to serve them is n • >Uv. r thing. A mounted constable fc>nt off yesterday for the purpose, hot. it is very doubtful if be will see one <if Them : it/is in in the highest degree

i ■,probable that ho will bo able to drop j-c.-oss Hitrangi. The constable may

finil Broughton, but as to bis mate in i misfortune, to- discover his whereabouts will prove, we four, an insurmountable difficulty, and justice will, in that case, he defeated, and fall into contempt. Were a Maori set to find a Maori, the case would bo altr gjtbor differen', and the probability is, that whilst a pakuha const/ bb may search for days without ! u cess, the native poace-prcs. rver would discover bis man in as,many hours. On various grounds, then, wo hope the Government will make an appointment of the kind, ana will procure the services of some intelligent native who can speak English fluently, and has ability to interpret clearly. Tlmre arc plenty such to bo got, if looked for. _ Apropos of the same case, the magistrates wore placed in a dilemma, and it is well that a clause of the Resident Magistrates Act relieved them. If they had sentenced the prisoner to buta short term of imprisonment, bo would have boon necessarily forwarded to Row I lymouth, the lock-up, even if it were fitting for the confinement of prisoners, not being proclaimed a public gaol. It is moreover in the highest degree unsuitable for a gaol, for even a single prisoner. The cost for sending a prisoner and accompanying constable to Row Xly mouth is not less than £lO, and, had imprisonment been inflicted, the colony ■would have been put to that expense, because a thieving - Maori stole a four aud sixpenny shirt. Indeed the cost is double that "in cases whore prisoners arc committed for trial to the . District Court hero, for first is the _ expense of lodging them in safe keeping till the timo ot trial, and then comes the cost of sending them back again, accompanied course by a constable. 'The result of this state of things is that every trifling _ offender, sentenced to a short term of imprisonment, puts to the colony to an expense of £l9 > every prisoner tried at the District Court who cannot get bail, co2o, and this is solely owing to the non-erection of a gaol, for which money has been voted by the Provincial Council. The amount necessary for the erection of a building sufficient to answer all purposes here, is annually spent in the conveyance of prisoners and their guardians, so oven if the Superintendent’s statement, that the vote lias lapsed, be conect, it would be oreatly to the interest of the General Government to put one up forthwith. The absence of a gaol involves heavy cost to the country, embarrasses the Bench, and causes at times difficulties of various kinds with those who should be the occupants of such a structuie. A is to be hoped therefore, that cither the ’Provincial or General Government will take the matter up at once, and make such provision as will put an end to tic existence of the above state of things, so as to permit the retention of those committed for trial at the District Court here, as well as saw the present outrageous expense of transferring those sentenced to short terms of imprisonment to other phaces.