The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1883.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4372, 8 January 1883, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1883.

The work imposed upon, our Eesident Magistrate is far too heavy for one man to thoroughly perform and suit the convenience of the public. At the present time there are four courts held in the district—at Thames, Te Aroha, Paeroa, and Coromandel respectively. The importance of the two first named places fully warrant the attention of one magistrate beiDg devoted to them, At a time when there were only two Courts held in the—at present—four districts, there were two magistrates; now to attend to the four Courts we have only one. Many litigants are very Iseriously inconvenienced by the absences of MrKenrick. There are a number of people who don't care for Justices' justice or law ; they consequently wait for his return if they can, and if they cannot, feel very dissatisfied with the state of things. Another disadvantage attached to the absence of a stipendiary magistrate is an opening "being left to people to get friendly Justices to hear the cases they are interested in. It is far from our intention or desire to in any way impugn the fairness or honesty of any Justice of the Peace, but it is a human frailty to have a slight leaning towards friends as against strangers ; more especially would there be a danger of this occurring in a matter where inexperience or want of legal knowledge or practice is suffered from. Another objectionable feature of the system is the shortness of time given by J.P.s to their duties. Business men can ill spare

several days a week, as they frequently have to do when the magistrate is absent. The work requires a second officer. We have not referred at all to the Warden's Court, the duties «/ which in all four districts have to be performed by the E.M. It must be matter.of extreme difficulty for Mr Kenrick to give the requisite time, to some of the abstruse judgments which he has to deliver. The district has in this, as in many other particulars, been neglected, and there is little doubt that we are likely to remain so, until we clamour in the proper quarter for what we are justly entitled to.