Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

8 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

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ENTRE NOUS.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

ENTRE NOUS. [By "THE SUB."] The special meeting of the Urban Council convened for the purpose of considering the arrangements for the formation of the new petty sessional and licensing division reached a decision whose wisdom and justice will commend themselves to all the reoidents within the area affected, and it is sincerely to be trusted that the magistrates with whom the ultimate decision rests will accord to the representations of the Council that weight which they unquestionably merit. An absen- tee clerk, who only visited the town upon days set apart for sittings of the Bench, would be an anomaly, for it would be necessary for him to emproy a deputy to issue summonses and warrants, and to take charge of. intermediate courts before which prisoners would be brought. That deputy would, al- most inevitably, be a solicitor, and it would be passing strange that, if he were capable of discharging the duties appertaining to the office, he should be obliged to accept the sub- ordinate position whilst the supericr one, to- gether with its emoluments, was conferred upon a non-resident, We have five resident practitioners, and it is felt locally that one of these should be appointed. If not, the pres- ent unnecessary and expensive system of re- mand will have to be continued, thereby robbing the new regime of much of the bene- fit which is expected to accrue from its in- troduction. ? ? -:? The recommendation that the gentleman appointed should be conversant with the Welsh language is an eminently sensible one. After all, the Clerk is the most important in- dividual in a magisterial court, and it is of primary importance that he should hear testi- mony first-hand without the intermediation of any interpreter, who may or may not be intimately acquainted with the laws of evi- dence, or with the niceties of shades, of ex- pression essentially to be studied in judicial life. On the other hand, it is not to be as- sumed that such a qualification on the part of the Clerk will enable translation to be dis- pensed with. Depositions will still have to be taken in English. Furthermore, if evid- ence were accepted in Welsh, and no trans- lation were provided, the Press would be severely handicapped, and publicity--one of the greatest deterrents to evil-doing—would suffer proportionately. What is needed locally is more, rather than less, publicity there is already far too great a tendancy in one court with which we are familiar tQ put in certificates, letters, etc., without their con- tents being divulged to anybody except those immediately concerned and I sincerely hope that this policy will be rigidly eschewed in the new division. Another matter which might advantageously receive the attention of to- morrow's meeting of magistrates, is the fix- ing of the sessions upon a convenient date. Tuesday should, in any case, be avoided as inconvenient to learned gentlemen practising in the locality, inasmuch as- it frequently clashes with County Courts and with Assizes and Quarter Sessions. ? ? Reverting to the special council-meeting it is interesting to note the paradox that, al- though fully half the proceedings were, tech- nically, out of order, it was, literally, one of the most orderly yet held. The members had but one object before them, they were un- animous upon the general principle involved, and they expeditiously found a modus vivendi in connection with matters of detail. Never- theless, it would be decided advantage if the Chairman refused to permit any discussion (including questions and answers) until a resolution has been properly placed before the meeting and duly seconded. If it served no other purpose, it would enable the reports of the proceedings to appear in the Press in a more lucid form than is at present the case. -S -S <? The particulars which appear in another column descriptive of the state of Fishguard and Goodwick in the days when bluff King William—the fourth of his ilk-ruled the land, will be perused with general interest, especially by those who hold decided views- either favourable or otherwise-upon the subject of the creation of a Greater Fish- guard. Little did the commissioners respon- sible for the compilation of these statistics forsee the changes to be eflected seventy years later-changes which might have been even greater but for the recommendations which they, in their wisdom, saw fit to lay before Parliament. i* o i: ;¡. The action of the Coroner of Barrow-in- Furness in declining to accept a recommen- dation as part of a verdict, and the refusal of the jury to modify its findings, once again direct attention to the anomalous state of the law relating to public inquests. Since the jurors have been bound over to appear before the judge at the next assizes, this specific matter is presumably sub judice, but the fact that a Royal Commission is at present in- vestigating the whole subject from a general point of view opens a loophole of escape, and, at an early date, I shall have a great deal to say concerning a state of affairs which endows the lowest of judicial authorities with powers denied to a judge of assize, and provides opportunities for gross abuses of prerogative should the occupant of the office happen to be endowed with an autocratic disposition. These remarks are, however, witheld pending the publication, amidst the Reminiscences now appearing in these pages, of the story of how successive journalists strove to maintain their professional rights against one such autocrat, the ultimate result being "honours even." ? S- ? It is an infinite pity that those who rush into print do not always pay sufficient atten- tion to the subject-matter which they attempt to criticise. Thus," Ex-Flatfoot" remarks, in the last issue of the Echo," some one seems to kick up a dust about a few Terriers we have in Fishguard." Now, the only per- son who has raised the issue is myself, and, if my critic had taken greater care to analyse what I actually wrote, he would have ob- served that, so far from kicking up a dust," my sole objective was to prevent the oc- currence of circumstances which would justify any person in authority doing so. It is a matter of supreme indifference to me whether men wearing His Majesty's uniform are per- mitted to attend political gatherings or not. All I have done is to express my opinion- subject to correction-that such conduct is contrary to martial law. Writing off the book, I do not believe that, at the outset, I made use of the term King's Regulations," although it may, possibly, have occurred in my second article "upon the subject. Be that, however, as it may, I can only regard as a distinct quibble the attempt now made to differentiate between such Regulations and a General Order by the Commander-in-Chief. The point at issue is, not what is the tech- nical description of the alleged ban, but does it exist ? My opinion is that it does, but I do not pose as any authority upon the subject, and am quite prepared to accept correction upon the point, provided always that it be of a convincing character. I am indebted to the two gentlemen who have endeavoured to elucidate the subject, but am bound to point out that, so far, they have adduced no evi- dence, except such as is of a purely circum- stantial nature.

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