RESIDENT MAGISTRATE.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1919, Page 6

RESIDENT MAGISTRATE.

WANTED FOR HAWERA. At a well-attended meeting of the Hawera Law Society on Friday, presided over by Mr W. R. Haselden (vice-presi-dent), the question of the appointment of !-. Resident Magistrate for the district was discussed.

Mr F. Spratt moved: "That the honorable the Minister for Justice be requested to appoint a Resident trate in Hawera and that the former circuit' he established, comprising Hawera, Manaia, Eltham, Patea and Mratford." He stressed' the, importance of Hawera as a court centre, and said that he had prepared a table of figures taken, from the returns of 1917 and for the three quarters of 1918 which showed that with the exception of one matter—summonses for criminal offences—Hawera easily led. In 1917 in Hawera there were 108 arrests for offence;, as against S3 for New Plymouth and 2b for jStratford; while there were JS3 summopses for offences in Hawera as compared with 458 for New Phmouth, and S3 for Stratford. It mi»iit be explained that the reason for the larger number of summonses issued at New Plymouth was perhaps due to the lactuhat the New Plvmouth police made a special feature of by-law cases. Only in this one instance were the Hawera figures beaten. For the quarter ended September 30, 1918, there were 17 arrests in Hawera, and 11 in New Plymouth and .109 summonses in Hawera and 87 in New Plymouth. But it was in the civil business where the comparisons stood out. "In 1917 there were issued in Hawera 7"2G pkints as against 584 in New Plymouth, and 391 in Stratford. For the three-quarters ■m 1918—March to September—the figures were! Hawera 133, lfki and up. Now Plymouth 151, 123 and 107. it would be seen that.Hawera led easily all the way. If the former circuit We reverted to, with Hawera as the circuit centre, they jvould have a strong circuit, which would occupy the full attention of one magistrate. As long ago as fifteen years Hawera had a resident magistrate, and if the town-war-ranted a resident magistrate then it certainly warranted it to-dav. He need hardly refer to the large amount of Supreme, Court work which came from this district, and there was ■ no doubt that the legal work in this district was greater than at the northern end of the province, and he believed Hawera could claim to have as much legal work as any two towns in Tnranaki. and -yet it had only one court day a week. Mr P. O'Dea seconded the motion, which was supported by Messrs R. D. Welsh and E. * Marshall, and carried unanimously.

Messrs Welsh, O'Dea and F. C. Spratt Wert appointed a committee to forward a copy of the resolution, together with reasons in support,-to the Minister, and it was rurther resolved that/the member for the district, the Borough Council, the County Council, and the Chamber of Commerce and justices of the pesee be invited to support the society in its claim for a lesideat mftghtrate.—Stac