JUSTICES OF THE PEACE REPRIMANDED.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2536, 7 May 1881, Page 2

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE REPRIMANDED.

Recently the chief Justice of New South Wales denounced from the Bench the illegal conduct of a number of Justices who granted a certificate to a certain person named Dimond, by which he obtained from the Treasurer a general publican’s license.- The Government have issued a circular to the 17 Justices concerned, from which we make the following extract: —“ The propriety of removing all the gentlemen who so acted from the Commission of the Peace has been forced upon the attention of the Government, and I am to say that the Government have refrained from this extreme step in consideration only of circumstances which seem to show that the blame partly attributable to the whole cannot be fairly apportioned to each individual, and that they were in some degree misled by the conduct of other magistrates on previous occasions. I am directed to say that the Colonial Secretary, before instituting any inquiry into this matter, ascertained from the Chief Justice that the language reported to have been used by him in reference to the granting of the certificate in Dimond’s favour, was so used by his Honor ou the Bench to describe the highly irregular and illegal character of the transaction. It is presumed that it is not necessary to point out that misconduct on the part of a number of Justices of the Peace, condemned in these severe terms by the highest judicial authority, is calculated to seriously impair the confidence of the public in the magistracy of the colony. While deploring that any occasion should arise for their interference with the conduct of magistrates, the Government express a hope that proceedings similar to that in which you and other justices were concerned, will not again be brought under their notice.”