Nuhou, Volume I, Number 15, 15 April 1873 — Petty Justices [ARTICLE]

Petty Justices

Ara to a great extont ona of the plagucß oF thesc ißlanclB. An ignorant, corrupt' nativc loeal judgc ean be more annoyiDg and injurious to a planter or grazier, tlian cut worms, drought, or low prices, if t.he aforesaid planter or grazier has not inanaged to buj \he man up. This is how the plague works. There ie a kuleana f or patch near you, or within your lines ; and the owner of this patch holds on to it for no other purpose, but as a trap for your stock. They get in, or more us,ually are driven in, and next morning when you are eoured with the state of crops and things generally, and have not had your hreakfast, there is a demand for poho, damages,—some grass or potato tops nibbled off, you can't see where, and twcnty do'llars is the modest demand, You don't want to be bothered, and offer t)ne dollar, and Bometimes the gentle pcasant will pocket it and gO, without earing for the incongruity of abating two thoueand per cent. upon his original demand. But it may happen, that either he is an aikanē, ehum, of the judge, or of the judge's pet lawyer, wlio shares fees with bim ; and tben he is paakiki, stiff in the back, haying a backer, and so you 1 offer five dollarsand perhaps ten of them in vain ;; and then you get mad, and there is a hoopu, or euit. Next day, you have to leave your important business, and ride three or four, or perhaps ten or iiUeen milen to appoar before the hmakanawai, j judge. Now if you are not all right with the judge, your proofs amount to nothing 5 for the gen-! ile peasant rebuts you with a dozen witnesses, | f who all swear to the same tbing to a dot, You seo 1 that you bave gone the wrong way to work, and get out of it the best way you ean, And pow having acquired wisdom, you hint to liis " llonor " by-and-by, that if he should fancj a new suit of slops, or a rig out of holokus for the wahine s or a. plug nag of yours, or a case of u something, M or eveu a trifle of kala on ān indefinite ! credit that the thing ean be arratVged ; and then you are in thc ring, and ean snap ycur fmgers at the gentlc peasant if you bid over lum. Those who do not like to do business in this way are in au eternal worry. The native, notwithstanding the many excellent qualities for whieh we will defend him, is pne of the most liti-' gious creatures in the world. He has neitheri marriage, nor christening festivals, but his delight is in a law suit. He never thinks of the value of "time, and is quite willing to have a week'a hoopaapaa, or wrangle about the value of a and he has plenty of lawyers to eneourage him. There are,a,bout one hundred regular pnunUlon-ors,-ar say one for every tive lmndred inhabitanta,; but aa anjbody ean plead in the petty eourts, about every third native you meet has gotour; Oivii atid Oiiminal Code at lus ends,; aiid plays loio onee in a while. They ean all plead, preach or pray with equal faeility, ' ; We havc a learned and well qual'fied Supreme; €ourt, wJhiah has control,of the appointmeots of; these petty ju£tiees ; but we (ear it has yielded to politieal intueneesin the eonfinning of very sorry j appomtments, Bome are a moekery of justiee, mā \ their courta aro a eonstant faroe, We ean re!ate 1 Beores of easea whieh bave eome under our ob^er-1 vation, ai»d of thcse the simple£t 6tatemeiit ofS ru]mgs, ptedings, and deeisions would seām like' ©xtravogant i>urle«quc. Oftcn the worst( in a di*triet beeomcs its judge, i>eeau€e he| is usunlly an aetivo man to help partiei in power,! Hut avc are only imitatiug Tiu*k Cih% and!

i otber greafc communiticB in thie nntttr. How- ! eTfer, we thiDk ? that with eueh a popular, patri- ! otic King as vrc have to govern this countrj, and ae Hie Majestv nceds no patronage to «üßtain ! lliB positioru tlie Supreme Court aMed bj the j Ministerg,f>ught to give us a loeal justiciarj eom. I poeed of nj)ne bufc decent and reasonablj inielli- | gent men ; and abate the present miißance of I corrnpt, vicibue pettj loeal jußtieee,