THE MAYOR OF GORE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1708, 8 March 1888, Page 4

THE MAYOR OF GORE.

The following letter has appearsd in the Otago Daily Times : TO THE EDITOR.Sir,—My attention has been drawn to a phngMph in your issue of the 25th inst., which you quote from the Evening Post, ns follows: "No. complaint has been made to the Minister, of Justice, as was anticipated, relative fo the conduct of the Mayor of Gore while occupying a seat on the Bench at a recent sitting of the local court." That paragraph would lead your renders to suppose that I alone was in fault, while as a rratfcer of fact the onus of the diNcreHitable snene lieu with Messrs Sounees and Mac Gibbon. When you copy into your columns each a paragraph as the above you will in fairness allow mo to make an explanation.

Oa (ho day in question I presided at the court and convicted a man of drunkenness. The same person was immediately re-arrested on a charge of obtaining money under false preteDcea, and as the esse required two Justices the Clerk of the Court summoned Messrs Souness and Canning to attend at 3 o'clock. The latter was out of town, and, although I was present at 3 o'clock, Mr MucGibbon, in addition to Mr Souness, was sent for, and duly attended. The two Justices, after consultation in' the clerk's room, .took..their seats on the Bench, I being already seated ihero. I had fctie ordinary chairman's seat, but the chair on my right hand had been removed to the left, so that I should not ba in the centre. On being charged the prisoner pleaded Guilty, whereupon Mr Souness, without any consultation, immediately sentenced him to one week's imprisonment in the Invereargill gaol. The chargo book was then handed up tome, and I was proceeding to enter up the conviction when Mr Souness grasped the book uni dragged it from my hands, at the same time stating that I was not the chairman, and that they (Messrs Souness and MacGibbon) ignored me. I that I was the chairman, and thai it was a disgrace to the: Court that such a scene should occur, and my opinion was that the man should have, bean sentenced to at least a month. In explanation of my remark, it is well to mention that the police were prepared with-a list of the prisoner's previous convictions, which were very grave and numerous. The other justices were so eager to insult me that they never asked a question as to the man's previous character, but let a notorious criminal off with a week's imprisonment; when convicted ot a serious crime.

1 may say in r eference to the Post's paragraph, that complaint has been made to the Minister of Justice, but not as to " the mayor's" conduct in the matter.

I have demanded and ; court the fullest impartial inquiry, and when that is made perhaps these unseemly doing 3 in a court of ■justice will cease. —I am, &c, I. S. Simson, Mayor. Gore, February 28.