Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 8941, 5 October 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

THE terrible revelations of corruption in San Francisco amazed the whole world, and it was a cause of general rejoicing that Major Schmitz had been condemned to a term of imprisonment and that the government of the city had been once more placed in the hands of respectable citizens. It was hoped that the people would have learnt a lesson from the past and that at the elections which will shortly take place they would either re-elect the present Mayor or some other person of similar qualifications. It seems almost incredible that the officials of the Union of Labour city and country committee are in favour of the re-election of Schmitz as Mayor. Thomas Egan, chairman of committee, says “Schmitz is the ideal candidate,and he will be nominated and elected* “if available.” In other words, if he succeeds in getting out of prison, Mr Tveitmoe, president of the Japanese and Korean Exclusion League and one of the two candidates appointed by Schmitz remaining on the Board of Supervisors, also declares himself in favour of the renomination of Schmitz, adding “ any movement calculated to divide labour at this time is open to suspicion.” Could any better indication be found of the depths of degradation to which the Union of Labour has sunk in San Francisco. ?

CONSIDERABLE surprise was caused when a New Plymouth Grand Jury threyv out the Bill against the accused in the much talked of Opunake case of tarring and feathering. It seemed at firs; that the jury had signally failed in their duty, and that a serious blow had been inflicted on the administration of even-handed justice. Lynch Jaw has fortunately never prevailed in the British dominions, and it appeared most regrettable that a Grand Jury, whose duties are purely formal, should have in any way stamped it with approval. Further information appears to show that the jury were not to blame, as the only witnesses for the Crown failed to identify the prime movers in the scene. The policeman had arrived after all was over, the victim professed himself unable to identify his assailants, and the woman from whose house he was removed suffered from a similar loss of memory. Under these circumstances the Grand Jury appear to have been justified in returning no bill. This explanation will do something to relieve the feeling of anxiety that has arisen of late as to the trustworthy character of the jury system in New Zealand.

The freehold provisiona in the Government Land Bill bear about the same relation to the leasehold clauses at the bread in Falstaff’s hotel bill bore to the quantity of sack he had consumed. By the aid of a microscopic examination of the Bill we find, it is true, that tenants under the lease in perpetuity - except on lands for settlement - may obtain the freehold at the present valuation but even Mr Laurenson admits that a tenant who has already paid for tho goodwill would be a fool to do so again. Yet though it is certain that the provision will be valueless a further precaution is added to prevent the sale of land of which the freehold has been obtained in this manner to anyone who already holds 640 acres of first class land. Thus even if obtained the owner will have nothing more than a kind of bastard freehold.