Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1895. LAW AND LAWYERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5210, 18 December 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1895. LAW AND LAWYERS.

Tlui People, a weekly journal published in Wellington, writing about "law and lawyers," says:— I "Can the Law Society do nothing to suppress the mischievous operations of ' some members of the fraternity, particularly iu country districts, in working up potty litigation involving other people in heavy costs, to defend themselves against unjust claims 1 urged on by needy lawyers ? The cost of litigation in New Zealand is enormous, and the law system is becoming one of the greatest abuses of the social system, Thp profession is much overdone, and such a condition must be fraught with clanger to flie community.' 1 The idea of the Law Society doing anything, in this direction, is, wo fear, altogether hopeless. The profession is divided into two classes; first, there is a class which takes up respectable cases; and secondly, there is a class which is usually associated with dirty cases. But, though a respectable lawyer will turn up his nose at a learned brother who deals in disreputable business, he does not altogether desire to seo him suppressed. Indeed, it is this class of lawyer which brings grist to the mill of the respectable solicitor, and this, of course, is always welcome. The Ishmaelites of the profession may foster yeiy undesirable litigation, which the mot'o selfrrespectilg members pf jt, may dpplpre; but none the less, it swells their revenues and increases their emoluments. If there be a danger to the social system, in the ravages of unprincipled lawyers, and in our opinion there is, we must not look to the Law Society for a remedy. If it does not fingov ill-earned money, it indirectly benefits by ite expenditure. Why should we not look to the Government? Thp Hon. Mr Mc.Konzio upon one occasion declared that he was upblo to afford a law case in the Supreme Court. Now, if a Minister of the Crown, with a large income, dare not go to law, it is quite obvious that less fortunate persons must be considerably harassed when oases are forced upon theni by what The People calls "needy" lawyers; but whether onr contemporary means thatsuch gentlemen" need" honesty, qt'" lieed, money, or" need" hanging, is not'appaveht. Possibly he meanß all tbro'e; and jf so, we are not suro but that we are wltli hill). certainly endorse his proposition, that the cost of litigation in New Zwllaiid, is enormous, and that the' law'syston iS' becoming onS 'ofthe [ 'greatest abuses of the social lystem. ( We Wst 1 T]w this ( imbject drop; also;that it will noVhe i ijiißguided ■ with the idea that' the i will 1 liolp to but down 1 (if 'tfe* ' 1

The judgment of the Ml- Hutchison, thrum-madden S.M., in this case, case, has been reversed by Judge Kettle. We have a great respeot for this Judge whose reputation for integrity and independence is uni- , versally admired, but we question ■ whether a shrewd lawyer like Mr 1 Hutchison, is not as likely to be in the right, in a case of this kind, as even Judge Kettle, We do not pretend to say which is right, or which is wrong, but we regret the reversal on n public ground, Wehaveknown a paid Magistrate to be so fearful of his judgments being reversed, that lie constantly, out of pure funk, gave verdicts for defendants, As yet, Mr Hutchison has always displayed the courage of his convictions, and what we want to point out, is that the services of a Magistrate who possesses bnckbone, even though he occasionally lias to take a rebuff _ from a higher court, are much more . valuable to the community, than those of a timid Stipendiary who is 1 afraid to administer justice.