Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1882.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1141, 7 September 1882, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1882.

A question arose during the course of the inquest held yesterday at Te Hapera. before Mr. Price, regarding the payment of jurors and witnesses. A young woran in the employ of Dr. Pollen, was subpoenad as a valuable witness as to the state of mind of the deceased woman. She complained that she had been called upon to proceed a considerable distance and asked for recoupment of her reasonable expenses. The Coroner, while regretting the fact, stated that there existed no power to enable him to make any payment either to witnesses or jurors, and no recommendation of his would persuade the Government to award any recompense whatever. This appears to us to be utterly unfair. As regards the jurors it is not so much a hardship, because although they find it an inconvenience, they are generally persons whose means enable them to meet that inconvenience in a way that reduces it to a minimum. They can either ride or drive, using their own horses or hired ones. Not so with a person in the position of the witness referred to. She is a domestic servant and probably her wages will not amount to more than 15s or £1 per week. To make a person in her position go to the expense of hiring a vehicle to convey her to the scene of action, or pay a share of such expense with others, giving her as an alternative the option of walking a considerable distance in a hot sun and on a bad and sandy road, without offering her any recompense for her trouble and expenditure, seems to us to be monstrously unjust, and deserves question. There exists no power to enable the Coroner to make such payments, but that does not alter the fact that such power ought to exist. A disc ia j power should be given to every Coroner Io order payment according to the circumstances of the case, and the means of, and position occupied by, the witness. Jurors and witnesses whose means enable them to treat such matters lightly will recognise a duty owed by aU good citizens of placing their time aud services gratuitously at the disposal of the country in cases of this description, but to ask a young working woman to do so is manifestly wrong and paltry, aud thoroughly unworthy ot auy Government. We hope that Mr. Price will so report the matter at head quarters that an alteration for the better w?l be made in the existing rules, and a useful discretionary power given to Coroners throughout the country. ___________