POLITICAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 101, 19 October 1911, Page 8

POLITICAL.

THE BULLER SEAT. By lelegraph—Press Association. Westport, Yesterday. John Dowgray, the Labor candidate for Buller, has retired, owing to his duties on the Mines Commission taking all his time. THE WALLACE SEAT. Invercargill, Yesterday. Mr. James King, Opposition candidate for Wallace, opened his campaign last night. He declared himself in favor of an elective Upper House and land boards. He supported the bare majority and State control of the liquor trade. He declared that the totalisator was no worse than the average church bazaar, and advocated the freehold. A vote of thanks was passed. i THE MANAWATU SEAT. Palmerston North, Last Night. The election campaign opened here tonight, when Mr. Win. Thompson, an Independent Oppositionist, addressed the electors and was accorded a vote of j thanks. I ' THE DAYLIGHT BILL. NO CHANCE OF GOING THROUGH THIS SESSION. Wellington, Last Night. A large deputation was introduced today to the Prime Minister by Mr. T. K. Sidey, which urged that the Daylight SariMg Mean Time Bill be put through this session. Sir Joseph Ward said he was in accord with the Bill, but it had no chance of being put through this session. Other measures they would like to see passed would have to be dropped. If the session could last another three weeks their Bill and others might be gone on with, but an effort was being made to finish the session on Saturday. He suggested that Parliamentary candidates should explain the Daylight Bill to their constituents.

THE PATEA SEAT; Mr. O'Dea had a very good meeting at Aramoho on Tuesday night. ' Mr. Lurford presided, and in introducing the candidate referred to his work on the Education Board, and saM they could ■ot find a better man to represent the Patea electorate in Parliament. Mr. OTJea had an enthusiastic audience throughout. At the conclusion he received a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence, moved by Mr. W. Pepper, sen., and seconded' (by Mr. J. W, Burke. A strong committee, with Mr. A. C. Manningly as chairman and Mr. Pepper as secretary, was formed to aid Mr. O'Dea'a candidature. Alter addressing the old people at thie Jubilee Home at Aramoho, the inmates accorded Mr. o"Dea a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence. i ______ ■ HTO3TORING MAGISTRATES Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P., asked the Minister for Justice the other day whether he was aware of the feeling that was arising against the administration of justice in the matter of irritating comments made by magistrates from the bench to reputable witnesses, and also to plaintiffs and defendants; also whether he had received any petitions for inquiry into the alleged conduct of magistrates, and, if so, whether he proposed to grant such subjects. Mr. Jennings referred to the power possessed by magistrates in the direction of inflicting fines and imprisonment as being suffi- ' oiently great without their resorting to publicly -lecturing witnesses. The Minister replied that it was the case that a few complaints had been received in connection with remarks or comments made by magistrates during the hearing of cases in their courts; but the Department of Justice had always adopted the attitude that it could not hold itself responsible for such remarks or comment. In his opinion, the attitude of the Department was the correct one, as, if magistrates were to be called to account for any utterance that might bep.displeasing to any of the parties before the court, the independence of the magisterial bench would be seriously impaired.