AT THE CORNER.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5197, 12 September 1885, Page 2

AT THE CORNER.

[$'*■' NEMO.} Homo, mni, hv,mani uihi>l a me aliciium pulo>

That the decision of the* Warden in ibe case of Cornea Y. McCouibie, heard yesterday morning, will meet the approral of ail the community would be too much to expect. Indeed not a few .persons were heard to proclaim in stentorian tones in the lopality of £ba ooim, that during their; yast experience of gardens' Courts thej never had heard a decision so rotted Still, the probability is tbgt the verdict rciU pomp^en^ itse}f tq the cominonsense of mos.t, and, it will hare the complete sympathy of all right-rainded, persors. Not to put too fine a point on, the matter, an atteoipt at juuipiug wa^

frustrated. Perhaps Mr Gerald Massey, his reverend, or other equally elheriaU Duiured friends might have seen tho delighted shades of the late Tom Baird and hi" well schooled associates flitting, perceiving but unperceived by ordinary mortals about the precincts of the Court, smiling approval on the congenial plaintiff, and exclaiming in spirit language, " Bravo ! Well done ! " Who can tell ? There can be no doubt as to the equity of the decision. A person who prowls about with a foot rule in his hand, trying to discover a fault, however Blight, in the pegs of persons whom he has known for years does not stand upon a pinnacle of honor, for sharp practice, although sometimes profitable, does not conduce to that feeling of friendship and respect which persons who love there fellowmen seek to cultivate. The Warden's decision is ingenious, but is there not a rift in the lute? I am inclined to think there is a rather weak link. He has no doubt that the defendant has not a legal title to the claim. He says, however, that he had possession of it as part of the gold* field. Just bo; but did not somebody come forward to assert a better title, namely, the plaintiff. The Warden admits that there was anasertion of title by thedefondant, and that the proper means for the plaintiff to adopt to obtain the ground, was, not to peg, and thus bring himself into conflict with the defendant, and complicate matters generally, bnt to appeal to the Warden for a ruling. Now it would seem that this is just what he did do. Surely if a man is not allowed to peg under the circumstances, the fact of hia applying for the Warden's ruling should suffice tor evidence of title on his part. Miner No. 1 has not complied with the regulations. The probability .is that Miner No. 2 would have avoided his error and pegged correctly. But as his pegging would not be recognised, whence his remedy P Miner No. 1 is shewn to have no title to the ground as a claim, the question therefore arises, should not the fact of Miner No. 2 having sought the ruling referred to, be sufficient evidence of his bona fides. We are inclined to think it ought, inasmuch, as he is debarred from the only other basis of title—namely, pegging out. To sum up, No. 1 has no title whatever to the claim, but if No. 2 had been allowed to peg, the. probability is that he would have pegged correctly, and his title been good; ■ but as he is not allowed to peg this ground, which by the Wardens' own showing he ought to have been in a position to peg, No. 1 having no title, the only equitable inference is that the test case ought to take the place of, and hold good, for pegging out by Miner No. 2. ' '

Some justices are wags, aa instance occurred this week in which one 6f the. great ..unpaid, who it is well known dearly lores his joke, shone. A feminine offender wtib had been previously before the Court appeared on a-charge of being drunk, and after netting the Bench looked sternly at the offender and immediately caused her heart to sink, but such ongallant behaviour to one of the gentler sex was immediately succeeded—at least it appears so—by a burst of good nature. His Worship remarked thusly, ".Really you bare been convicted so frequently be* fore on similar charges, that I am at a loss to decide what punishment to inflict on you; Tbe delinquent's countenance fell considerably, but the Justice humanely rose it again by saying "Therefore, yon will be discharged, with a eautbn." ~ -- *

__ The Native member for the Southern Maori District, Parata, is not only conversant with the English language, but also has an idea of its adaptability in the matter of jokes. A few nights ago in the House, in the absence of an interpreter, be addressed the assembled senators in English on tbe question of the abolition of tbe salary or allowance paid to Mr Fyke, Chairman of the Goldflelds Committee—another committee's Chairman had just had his salary voted. Parata remarked that be would " vote for Pyhe and the money; one should not be ps?{ and the other fowl," and a pretty lively fish Pyke is, as doubtless Parata knew; but the other case, that in which the salary was granted, had very little fowl in the man who benefitted; in fact, he is a pretty tough old chicken.

The ]ong* winded exhortations of certain clergymen often sadly tax their hearers powers of endurance, and many would be glad to escape from the dull and wearisome recapitulation of their sins and omissions, that that jour church-goer denies his culpability and fleshly shortcomings, but the doleful accents of the parson hare suoh a depressing effect on him as to make him wish himself—well, anywhere—rather than in the church. A remedy for this is suggested by a respectable Anglican—?iz M that at the end of the prayers the Choir should sing an anthem, or the organist play a suitable voluntary an.d. continue it for some time, say three minutes, after the collection is taken up, so as to allow those of the congregation who do not wish to wait for the sermon, to retire. This is, I believe, done in Cathedrals in England, and it might well be followed out here.

The present heavy i cubus of debt lying on the limited population of this country, and the various means which have been unsuccessfully tried to make jfevcmue and expenditure como within reasonable approximation, have occupied the minds of many persons, and especially during the consideration of ways and means in Parliament has been the question brought prominently before the taxpayer. It is of course a difficult matter to devise any scheme which shall in the process of its d.e7slop»aent be satisfac* tory to everyone, nor do I believe that any plan of which the short title is " Stand and deliver " would find acceptance with people generally, Still we are face to face with 3 difficulty—viz : the redaction of O.ur colonial debt. A gentleman has suggested that ft sinking fund might be raised in the following manner ;— Levy a poll-tax according to scale on every adult person in the colony, and for a period -—say ten years from a given date—charge a tax—to be according to scale—on every hoy.a fide emigrant coming to settle in the colony, the amount so raised to be suitably invested and tha inter est to go towards reducing the interest on the public debt—the poll t&3| on emigrants need not be collected directly from them, the payment niighfrbe arranged to form pact of the passage mouey, and accounted for by the agents of the vessels conveying the emigrants.