Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1878.] FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1894. ANOTHER NOTABLE J.P.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4735, 1 June 1894, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1878.] FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1894. ANOTHER NOTABLE J.P.

We recently referred to sorao of the racy anecdotes that are told of Liberal Justices of the Peace. These read like fiction, but occasionally in most matter of fact records we get a tracing of that curious production, the Liberal Magistrate, which makes one wonder how any Government manages to unearth such remarkable men, The following scene, taken from a report of the S.M. Court in Feathcrston, and published by our contemporary, the Wnirarapa Mandard, is, in its way, almost unique. IV. Cnmly v E, J, Scnrl. Mr Achcson for plaintiff, Mr Pownall for defendant. Claim £2917s 2d for goods supplied aud there was a contra claim for £2612s as a set off. Tins was for drinks supplied. Mr Searl disputed many of the items charged and produced his diary to substantiate his statements. In answer to Mr Pownall plaintiff had some of the drinks as shown in the set off _ ByMrPownall-Do you admit sticking up drinks in defendant's house. Plaintiff— Oh, yes, I might havedone. Mr Pownall—Come.liavo you not had the drinks charged ? Plaintiff —Not all, but may hare had the major portion, Mr Pownall—Do you decline to pay for those drinks ? Plaintiff-Yes I do. Mr Pownall • You shelter yourself then under a statutory excuse?' Plaintiff—l suppose so. Mr Powmll—licniarknbly mean on your part, Mr Cuudy. Were you not at the time Chairman of the Licensing Committee, Justice of the Peace and in other public offices? Plaintiff—l was. Mr Pownall—Aud yet you repudiate your drinks? Plaintiff—l suppose so. 1 _ ThcS.M.—What? You were at the time Chairman of the Lieenin/j Committee and stuck up drinks with a publican ? Plaintiff-Yes Tho S.M.--I think such conduct most improper. Mr Pownall—l cannot sec how Mr Cundy could possibly he impartial under such circumstances. Mr Pownall, for defence proposed to reduce plaintiff's claim by some £0 or £7 but as to set off .for drinks he was quite aware that plaintiff would shelter himself legally if he was mean enough to shuffle out of a moral liability—a debt of honour to any decent man. ThcS.M.—l have already expressed an opiuion on that. It would almost appear as if Mr W. Cmuly had missed his vocation. A man who can stick up £2612s for drinks at a public house, and then dispute payment of them is clearly qualified to graduate at Bellamy's—why is ho not mi M.H.R ? but perhaps he has not as yet realised his special fitness for legislative ' honours, and at the next general election will come forward and take his proper place, It may be argued that a Justice of the Pcaco declining to pay for hisliqucrispresumptuous, and it is certainly a curious position for a Chairman of a Licensing Committee to take. Mr Cundy might have borne in mind that such offices do not confer the full privileges which some members of the House ! have been understood to enjoy, "\Vc are not disposed to blame Mr Cundy ' oven if ho stuck up live hundred j and thirty two drinks at Mr Searl's hotel, for, if ho consumed them him- , self, ho has probably suffered enough on this score, but something ought to be said in praise of the party which : recommended the appointment of Mr W. Cundy-as a Justice of the ■ Pence, and of tho Govcnimentwhich ! satisfiedjtselfMvhich, no doubt, it a fit | g^^^^^^^H^sition,

>ome time ago it was pointed out ' liat any person who subscribed one M iound per annum was qualified to dil lecome a Justice of the Peace, and to re would like to learn whether there at s any now rule in force now. For ea dl wo know to the contrary the uiwrittenlawnowinaybothat any th mo who sticks up 500 drinks and ipwards at a public house is eligible. c ? Chore aro, however, statutes which Mi' rather hard on tho publican, md which ilr Seddonastheirfriend le: md sympathiser, ought to alter. At ™ present a publican cannot legally " mo'for "drinks," and a Justice of "' the Peace can, after consuming five S hundred nips, dispute the payment „, of thorn. He is exempted from lia- yj bility as effectually as an M.H.R. is at protected from the penalties ordinarily attach'od to the non-payment jj of debt. Ought not tho Government w under such circumstances to put a 1! sum on tho supplementary esti- w mates to prevent the publican ai from losing his money. Thero is !! even under our present democratic , rule a privileged class and Mr W. £' Cundy bolongs to it, but to this, of d; course, there can be no objection. A liberal who can obtain credit with ~ his publican for five hundred nips is T | a man of mark, but Mr W. Cundy is si something more than this, if ho has J: obtained the credit and evaded the P payment for the five hundred re-' >' freshers. This shows that he is a politician—not exactly a statesman »1 of the first water, but still a politic- tc ian—and he evidently has claims on* 'I Mr Seddonforascatin tho Legislative Council until such time as his J] heroic virtues can command a place ni in the moro popular chamber. Ho T is evidently tho most popular man si in Fcatherston—tho hope of tho gi Liberal party in that town, and let t( us trust that the party which fl selected him for a position of honour as a Justico of the Peace will ask J* His Excellency to recognise his distinguislied services to the State by some further mark of approval. * The recital which we have copied * abovo omits someinferestingdetails. It does not tell us how many sittings |J: weretabnto put away tho five hundred and thirty-two drinks and A wo arc left in doubt as to Avhether this Ministerial champion has r broken a record, Those who. take " an interest in prowess of this kind would like to know the average number of liquors per evening and ? if ascertainable, the maximum number nt any one seance. The ordin- , ary loiterer round a public bou6c bar '; is elated when one free drink comes I into his way, and ho is a made man . if he secures two, but he will now j see what a poor thing he is after all, ( If ho only votes straight at an olec- , (ion time and is of the "right i colour," he may becomo a Justico of ] the Peace, and count his free drinks ' not by one's and two's but by the : hundred. Lives of great men like Mr W. Cundy, will remind him, he ■ cau make his own sublime, and do- \ parting leave behind him an almost miracnlous score for drinks at a public house. And who will venture to ' deny that as a Magistrate, MrCuudy, ' failed in his duty. Even if it be con- ' ceded thai lie did not quite do justice , to tho publican, it must at least be j admittod that ho did justico to the liquor, and as bug as a liberal J.P. , is engaged in doing justice, ho is ( doubtless doing honour to himself and credit to the party which ap- i pointed him ' ) '. j