AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1385, 19 May 1881, Page 2

AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

Equal .nul exact justii c to all men, Ot whatever statu or persuasion, religious or politu ,il. Here shall Ine Press the People's rij/ht m.iint.iin Unawed b} influente and unbribud by jjtun.

THURSDAY, MAY ID, 1881.

Tiik administration of law and justice in our courts of inferior jurisdiction, is getting into a sad plight. We may state at once, we do not think the Judges and Resident Magistrates are responsible for that state of things. The fault rests with the department of Justice, the work, and multifarious nature of the duties, being in excess of the number of men actively en-gag-d in their performance. Auckland city, we are told, is at present without a stipendiary magistrate at all— the work of the R.M. Court, which must be onerous as well as considerable, being left to the tender mercies of our "great unpaid." Nominally there are two Resident Magistrates for Auckland, but, as a matter of fact, they do not exceed what is set down in immigration returns, as "one and a-half statute adults." The fractional shortcoming is brought about in this Avay : Mr Macdonald, who acts as second R.M., has also to perform the duties of District Court Judge for Waikato, and Judge of the Native Lands' Court. In discharging the duties of the last two offices, he is necessarily taken away a great deal from Auckland, hence, he is only equal to the work of a-half statute adult Resident Magistrate, so far as the work of that place is concerned. Then again, his brother Magistrate has been called away from Auckland to Wellington, so that the place is left, as stated, without the services of a Resident Magistrate of any kind. After all, it is not Auckland city we care so much about as it is the Waikato, and under certain' branches of the arrangement, we are sorry to say, Waikato is made to suffer in equal proportion to that of Auckland. We have said Mr Macdonald is District Judge for this place, as well as Judge of the Native Lands Court. In transacting the business of the latter, he is sent hither and thither all over the native territory. At present he is in Rotorua we believe, and as his further movements are in a great measure dependent upon the tardy operations of the Native Lands' Court, when lie may return is altogether problematical. Meantime, the date for t"he quarterly sitting of the District Court in Hamilton arrived — Tuesday last being the day. No Judge being available, the sitting had to be postponed, and it is just possible it will not be brought on for a considerable time. This is a state of matters which cannot be tolerated very long. We have no desire to magnify the commercial interests of the place unduly, or to present

their exigencies in the light, of an emergency brooking of no delay. Nevertheless, we say that those interests are of sufficient importance to justify the assumption that they will not long admit of being trifled with in the way that is being done. We know of more than one personal hardship arising out of this delay, and what makes things the more aggravating is, the uncertainty as to when the business will be gone on with. The remedy for these dim*-' culties is perfectly simple, and we would earnestly invite the Justiciary department to view the matter in a reasonable light. The duties of the three offices referred to are too multifarious fur any one man. It may be that the actual work is not beyond the capacities of a person of ordinary energy, but then the extent of territory over which these duties are distributed makes, as we have seen, their efficient discharge by one and the same person, matter of impossibility. Then again, we would ask : Is it necessary, even on the score of economy, that all these duties should be shunted on to the shoulders of one man ? What is that mysterious personage, the Chief Judge of the Native Lands Court, got to do that he cannot find time to go upon circuit 1 Presuming, for argument sake, he is not cjuipetent to do Police Court duty and District Court work, still, he must be deemed equal to the duties of the Native Lands Court. How then does it come about that he is not attending upon that work at Kotorua, so as to enable Judge Macdonald to keep his other engagements 1 Ingenious narratives have been told to us of the devices resorted to by this gentleman for killing time — fiddling to wit— and we are just afraid the conspicuous part he was enabled to play in the Puichas-Mcßae inquiry shows that these narratives, unlikely as they seemed, are founded on fact. The subject is one well worthy of a joint conference on the part of the Native Minister and the Minister of Justice. Half-an-hour's talk might be profitably devoted to the matter, and even at this late period of the recess, when Ministers are bound to be exceptionally busy, we believe such an half-hour could be profitably spent.

The Hamilton Borough. Council has wisely determined to hold its meetings monthly.

Mr Louis Adolphus Durrien has 1 been Gazetted an auditor of the County | of Piako.

His Excellency has been pleased to appoint Dugald McKUlar, Esq., to be receiver of land revenue for the land district of Auckland.

Cablegrams from St. Petersburg announce that serious outrages have been committed on the persons and property of the Jews in Russia by the bigoted populace, inflamed by the Russian priests.

It is notified by advertisement in the Gazette that the Hon Mr Dick hsis been appointed minister, having the administration o! the Naval Training School Act, 1874, via the Hon W. Rollebton resigned.

Mr J. Hadfield has been appointed bandmaster to the Hamilton B.iml, and will commence his duties this evening. It' is hoped all members will attend. The loug-telt want of a good leadinsr cornet player will now be filled up. Mr Hadfield has had the management of several Bands, and played through Europe, and was some time connected with the Manchester band, England.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court, Hamilton, yesterday, Edwin Charles Shepherd -was committed for trial on a charge of perjury. A full report will bo found in another column.

Last week, a sister of Mrs C. Gould, of Waitoa, met with a dangerous accident while riding in the neighbourhood of Rotomahana. The horse fell, and the young lady received a severe kick, though fortunately, the injuries inflicted were no greater than some painful bruises and the shaking.

It will be of interest to many people to know that all orders for money, whether cheques, draft?, or simple orders must be stamped. An unstamped order was refused as evidence at the R-JVT. Court yesterday. The drawer and receiver of such orders are liable to a heavy penalty.

The subject introduced by Or. Vialou at Tuesday night's meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council, is one of very great importance, and it is perhaps to be regretted that the Council did not adopt the motion brought forward. The matter will not however be allowed to rest.

Our Te Aroha correspondent writea yesterday :— " There is very little here that is new. The battery has been finishing off the tailings of the claims I mentioned in my last, and actual results will not be known until this evening."

Mr Lovett has been notified that he is the successful tenderer for Contract No. 2, "Waitoa, called for by Messrs. Maclean anil Co., and advertises for 20 good pick and shorel men for this work. The demand for labor appears to be unsttpplied, as the rate offered of 8s a-day id considerably higher than that ranging for some time past.

The Rev. J. Pinfold called a meeting of the Wesleyans of Te Aroha on Friday, the 13th inst., to consider the advisability of building a chapel for their denomination on the goldfields. The Wesleyans of the district have been postponing this step, in expectation of the erection of a public hall or a school building, but finding that neither of these will be at present provided in Te Aroha, it was resolved that immediate steps should be taken to raise the funds necessary, and go on with the work. About £30 have been already promised towards the object.

A somewhat amusing incident occurred at Thursday evening's meeting of the Hamilton Bnrouch Council. One 01 the members, who stands nearly six feet, rose to move a resolution, but he only got out the words, " That in the opinion of thia Council it 13 desirable," when his head came into violent contact with the chandelier, the shock knocked one of the lamp chimneys down and smashed it. Another councillor immediately jumped up, and said he for hi& part certainly did not think it "desirable," whereupon the rest, as in duty bound, laughed immensely.

The survey of the Komata road having been completed, Mr. N. Kenny, the surveyor, has been iustr acted to bake the levels in ' order to prepare for proceeding with the ' ■work.' ' When the levels have been completed, 'Mr.

Pc% Smith And Mr (*.' TV' Wilkinson will no di>ubt be instructed to engage men for the work, unle.«n the latter deoiden that it in better to do it by native labour. At present Tukukino is away in the King conntry, no doubt dimMnninj? the'inatrer wit t Tawhiao and hi« sdviserc, but wl a> ever the deoi-<ion arrived at may be we believe the work will be proceeded with at once. — Thames Anvertiscr.

The first cable message under the arrangements which were come to at the Meteorological Conference recently held at Melbourne was received by Dr Hector a few days ago says the Times Wellington. It came from Mr EUery, Government Astronomer, of Victoria, and conveyed the information that a depression wan parsing from west to east over Tasmania, the inTerence beinir that a sform is ap. proaching New Zealand. It is believed that it would requii c 30 hours for a depression to pass from Tasmania to our coast*, and in that case rough weather may bo expected in any part of the colony kt almost any hour. The area from which warning* will bo sent includes the whole of Australia and Tasmania as well as New Zealand, advantage being taken of the telegraph stations at the extremes A code of cyphers ii u«ed for the transmission of the me^ages.

The following is an extract from a circular on instructions issued by the Union Steamship Company, on Nov 20, 1878: — -'Give partioular instructions to the officer in charge of the bridge that when he has any doubt as to the safety of the caurse on which the steamer may at any time be proceeding, he shall, on his jwn authority, and without waiting to consult you, stop the steamer, and then seek your directions. Any officer neglecting this duty shall, on proof of the same, be dismissed the Company's service. In dense fog, the lead must be kept constantly going, and if the soundings suggest the smallest doubt of the course you are runing you shall then turn the vessel's head off from what you conceive to be the direction of the land, and wait until you are enabled to ascertain your position. These directions are placed before you for your guidance, and you will exercise what further precautions your experience and judgment may suggest."

The London Correspondent of a contemporary writes : — About a fortnight ago, Mr Bradlaugh called attention to an alleged excessive punishment of natives in New Zealand. His question to the Colonial Under- Secretary was based on a paragraph in the JPairarapa Standard of January Bth. Mr Grant Duff, however declined to enter on the subject until the receipt of advices from Sir Arthur Gordon. The hon. member for Northampton is rather inclined to pose as the protector of the oppressed, but I think the question may very well ho left to the Administration at 'Wellington, who probably are much better acquainted with the merits of the case than the authorities at home.

The monthly meeting of the Cambridge North Township Highway Board was held on Tuesday night. Present — Messrs. J. P. Campbell (chairman), Wells Johnson and Pearson. The minutes having been confirmed, the chairman said he had written to the two auctioneers, Messrs. Buckland and Hunter, pointing out the damage which was being done to the sale yards by people using them for branding and stating that it was the Board's intention to lock them, leaving the key with the Secretary. The Secretary of the Cambridge Highway Board wrote intimating that they were goiug to direst themselves of all responsibility in regard to the road between the bridges which lay within the township boundaries. The chairman and Mr T. Wells were appointed a committee to make enquiries into the matter and report to the Board. Messrs. Wells and Johuson were appointed a committee to make suggestions regarding (he Town Districts Bill, and it was decided to ask the members for the district to use all their exertions to get the Bill passed during the ensuing Session. A vote of thanks was passed to the local emmbers of the County Council for their action at the late meeting. Notice was givrn th.it the Board intend to strike a shilling rate, uud after the business of u minor character had been done and several accounts passed, the Board rose.

Tenders are invited by Mr Barugh of Wartlc, tor plonghing. All unpaid rates in the Newcastle Highway District must be forwarded to Mr J.imcs Wells, or left at Mr Dawsun's residence, Whatawhata, on or before 30th mst. Messrs Clark and G-ane, seed merchants, &r., of Cambridge and Auckland, have a large quantity of seeds, manures, etc., on hand. W. J. Hunter and Co., hold their next fortnightly sale at Cambridge on Thursday nc\t 26th iiist. E. Porter and Co., the leading Auckland ironmongers make an important announcement in our advertising columni, fourth page. The new pure casli system now being initiated by G. and C. will cortainiy piove a benefit to the public. It has been a great success in bydncy and Melbourne, and when strictly carried out the customer who buys at an establishment where the goods are marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be .1 great gainer. G. and C. sell their drapery millinary, and clothing at such prices for cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative society, without the risk of being called upon tobcaraportionof thelossshould the year's business prove unsatisfactory. Garlick and Cranwell will aim to retain the'eonhdonce which the public have hitherto shown them, and are determined to give the pure cash system a fair trial ; whether they gain or lose the first year. Country buyers on remitting cash with order will be supplied with goods at co-operative prices ; just the same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carpets, floor cloths, bedsteads, and general house furniture, the largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at the lowest remunerative prices, and a discount of five ncr cent, will be allowed to those who pay at the time of purchase. G. &C. having realised the entire value of their stock during their late cash sale, the present stock is ,vkw and cheaply bought. An inspection is invited.— Garuck amd Cranwkll, City Hall Furnishing Arcade Ouecnstrcct, Auckland