The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1883. THE RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1084, 17 March 1883, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1883. THE RESIDENT MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

There is a strange a scarcely credible—rumor afloat. It is that there is a movement on loot to remove the Temuka and Geraldine Resident Magistrate’s Courts to Winchester, and amalgamate both into one Court. We pooh-poohed this when we first heard it, and so did every one else ; but it would appear that there is something in it after all, because the Resident Magistrate himsdf has told a gentleman in this town that he expected it to 1 e done. Was there ever a more audacious idea entered a human head ? In the first place there are suitable buildings at Temuka and Geraldine : at Winchester there is no building at all, and a Courthouse would have to be built there. Both Temuka and Geraldine are centres of population, containing 1000 to 1500 inhabitants each : Winchester has a population of some 40 or 50 people. Are the people of these two towns to he put to the inconvenience of having to go to Winchester when they want any Court business done ? Is it not an extraordinary thing to ask the people of Geraldine to travel eight miles and the people of Temuka four miles whenever they want to take out a summons or to visit the Court on any business ? Surely, however plausible the matter may be laid before them, the Government will not do such an absurd thing. Wherever there are civilised people the Courts of Justice are held in the centres of population, and surely the Government of this colony are not going to depart from that rule. We hesitate to recommend people to take any action in the matter, because the thing looks so absurd on the face of it; but at the same time, when it has come from so good an authority as the Magislrate himself, we feel convinced that there is something in it. It is very probable that the Resident Magistrate is at the bottom of the whole affair. We cannot imagine any other man who could muster up audacity enough to make such a suggestion to the Government. We know that the Winchester people have enough of enterprise and industry amongst them to push any place ahead, but we do not believe that they would think- of stealing the Courts from both their neighbors. We do not suppose that there is the slightest danger of this being done, but at the same time it would not he any barm to inquire into the matter. And this brings us to a very important question. It shows at once how desirable it is to have some form of self-government in this town ; some responsible body that would represent the people, and defend their rights in matters ol this kind. There is a public meeting for the purpose of taking the preliminary steps for bringing this town under the provisions of either the Municipal Corporation Act or the Town Districts Act to be held next Monday evening in the Volunteer Hall, We sincerely trust those who will go to that meeting will not forget the great necessity for having some kind of a local body in this town, and that the people will be found unanimously in favor of it. We know that the principal men of the touu arc quite unanimous re-

peeling it. The men of property, the men whom the rates would affect most, are not only unanimous but very anxious that the town should have local government, in fact we only heard one man discountenance it, and he had not given it any consideration. If there is union amongst the people they will have no difficulty in attaining their ends; if there is dissension it may result in considerable trouble if not failure. It is desirable therefore that there should be unity, and we trust there will be next Monday evening.