DUNEDiN, this day. TBE UNCERTAINTY OF LAW. The "Herald," commenting on the large ■proportion of acquittals at the Criminal Sessions of the Supreme Court says : There i - evidently a screw loose somewhere. It is li le better than a farce to go through the rmi me of prosecution and defence with case «ft_r case, only at length to arri\e at the stereotyped verdict of " not guilty." As iv i ters stand we sincerely sympathise with t!nMewho were weak enough, or ill-advised enough to plead " Guilty." Had they stuck out manfully and put a bold front on the matter, the number of sentences passed by Mr Justice Williams would doubtless have been fewer than they were. We may mention a fact for which we can vouch that one of the prisoners on leaving the gaol on Monday told the Governor he intended to plead guilty,'and trust to the mercy of the Court. When he saw the large number of acquittals he changed his mind, and determined to run his chance, with the result that he was acquitted.
Complaints are made that many carriages attached to express trains are crowded. One writer says the compartment in which he travelled had. 18 persons huddled together.
At a meeting of the Botanical Domain Board to-day, Mr Maitland was elected chairman for the year. It transpired that the Board's financial position is not in a very satisfactory state. It was resolved that in future visitors to the ground should not be restricted to the walks, but might also go on the grass plots.
A labourer named John Orr was seriously injured at Tort Chalmers to-day by a fall of earth.
