The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-03-19 00:00:00

PAYMEYTS TO PROSECUTORS AND
WILTNESSk:S ATrENDING ASSIZES AND

SESSIONS.

IT would be fruitless searching after perfection
in any system of human legislation. In a
country like England, where so great a diversity
amongst society exists, any code of laws, rules,
or regulations, laid down for the guidance or
directions of the public generally, umst neces-
sarily press more heavily on some persons than
on others. Thu fees formerly allowed to prose-
cutors and witnesses attending Assizes and
Quarter Sessions, were, no doubt, in some in-
stances, exorbitant. The liberal scale of allow-
ances for mileage and loss of time not unfre-
quently had the effect of inducing "old Lands'
at " getting up" cases to unnecessarily multiply
witnesses, and we have heard judges from the
Bench and chairmen of Quarter Sessimui com-
plain sometimes of two or three policemen Leh%
mixed up in a prosecution when there was no
real necessity for more than one. This system
W" SQ eatePsivolY Pradlood by ootao police

forces in the comity of Kent Isaac yeara ago,
a.s to call forth the remarks of one or
I the Jwlges a icral thaLS dining tilv
I T.lath4"l". aly the extra
I to;tdher ejb the pr a
I a few days' holiday a:.,1 the adtlitional advantage
of a rospect of meeting old acymMtances, had
their evils which called for asuentlinent ; but
not for such an alteration as should have the
erect of frustrating the ends of justice. There
is a medium in all things. Truth, honour, and
justice are addoin to be found in extremes.
Whether in the physical, moral, religious, or
political world, we usually find that the middle
path is the safest ansi Lea, The Home office,
to remedy a grievance which was but partial.
inflicted a positive hardship to a large class of
the community throughout the country.
corains to tho existing scale of fees, profes-
sional men, traders, and agriculturists, aro cut
down to the amount allowed for children. For '
hiss of thou in attending before the magistrates
they are paid Is. for the first two bourn, CA. far
the second two hours, Ira Is. for all tho thao
the e..7e Issts eseeeding roar lo qtrs. For attend-
ance at the As :130% or Quarter Bessimm, ;;;:.
per slay is allowed, and 24. fitper night, if
more than ono slay is occupied, a ith second
class fares by rail, and 31 per mile by coach.
Now, how is it possible for any person moving
in a respectable sphere of society to meet his
expenses at an hotsl or respectable inn for a day
and night for 63. Why, a person attending the
assizes at such a town as Bothnia would have to
pay a guinea a night for only a bed ! True,
accommodation is much cheaper in Dorchester.
nevertheless, even here the expenditure must
more than treble the amount allowed by the
Court. The grand jury of this county,
in their presentment to the judges at
the late assizes stated that" The present scale is
wholly inadequate to cover the ordinary and
necessary expense of limy witness at the assize
town, whose situation is above that of the labour-
jug man," that "That allowance will not afford
the accommodation which clergymen, profes-
sional men, and the higher class of tradesmen
and their families are entitled to claim," whilst
at the same time "The position often of these
parties, renders any call for increased expendi-
ture a serious obstacle to their coming forward
to assist the public in the suppression of crime,
and the slue punishment of offenders. With the
whole of these remarks we entirely agree. The
niggardly allowance for expenses is unquestion-
ably a great drawback in numerous instances
in enlisting parties in coining forward to panish
offenders, not only so far as regards clergymen,
professional ;non, and the higher class of trades-
men, but the same remarks are equally ep-
plicable to the lower class of trades-
men. Lit us give a case in point. Several
tradesmen in NVeymouth were, a few montLa
since, victimised by two women obtaining goods
under false pretences—one patronising drapery
estaldinhments, the other grocers, butchers,
bakers, and pastry cooks. Both WOlllOll were
subeequently discovered, but neither was prose.
cuted, and the reason assigned by many of the
tradesrnen for not instituting proceedings against
them was, the loss of time and being taken from
their several occupations, together with the
certain expense attending a prosecution. Parties
who can ill afford the expense, and whp could
not leave their business without great incon-
venience, will often put up with a first loss as
" the least of two evils," and this crime, instead
of being nipped in the bud, as it frequently might
he, is allowed to go on increasing. We are far
from recommending harsh measures in every
instance. Often a person detected in a first
offence might to reclaimed, but the sooner
habitual pilferers awl false pretenders are
stopped in their career, the better. There is, no
doubt, in souse people, a natural roluctanoo to
prosecute or to give evidence under almost ally
circumstance, and this reluctance is very mate-
rially inereaeod Ly a knowledge of the foul that
to do what they would wish to avoid, they must
make a considerable sacrifice of time
and money. Thus the ends of justice arc often
frustreted, mid Acts of Parliament are rendered
ungatory. The grand jury of Dorset did right
in bringing the subject prominently before the
judges, that the case might be represented to the
proper authorities, and we &reglad to find that
the matter has also been taken up in other parts
of the country.