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EDITORIALS.

The following despatch from London with reference to the Criminal Law Amendment Act speaks for itself.

The Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1912, popularly known as the white slave traffic bill, has just come into operation in Great Britain, and, whatever may be the opinion of reviving the practice of flogging those persons convicted under the Act, it is true that so far the moral effect of the new law has been salutary.

From France comes the news that several well-known procurers and procuresses have already, after years of residence in England, fled to France and that Deputy Denais is preparing to interrogate M. Steeg, the Minister of the Interior, on the subject, asking what steps the Government has taken to exclude from France foreigners whose sole means of livelihood has been derived from the white slave traffic, and also to see if the English police cannot furnish sufficient evidence against returning French slavers to send them to local

prisons.

Meanwhile a new department to put into execution the Act has been created at Scotland Yard, the members of which have full power to arrest on sight any suspicious person seen leaving with, or meeting, any young girls at the railway stations or boat landings. Heretofore such arrests could only be made upon sworn charges or upon ocular evidence of the police that a crime was being actually committed.

It is a great pity that the infliction of the lash as a means of punishment is not meted out to a certain class of offenders much more frequently, for governors of prisons, penitentiaries and other places of correction state that the most hardened criminals, even those guilty of murder, look upon paying the penalty of their crimes on the gallows with much greater equanimity than they do to receiving the lash.

No punishment for certain classes of offences can have so salutory an effect as this same use of the lash. This is evidenced in no uncertain manner by the dispatch above quoted, and it is hoped that a similar amendment will immediately be enacted in Canada notwithstanding the protest by well meaning but ill-informed humanitarians.

VOL. XXXIII., C.L.T.-8

Information from Ottawa shews that numerous petitions are being sent to the Government protesting against the passing of the proposed new Bank Act. The greatest dissatisfaction appears to be directed against the clause authorizing an audit to be made by shareholders instead of an out and out Government inspection. No matter how influential the banks may be through members on both sides of the house, the general public appear to be thoroughly aroused as to the importance of having an independent government inspection, and at the same time to compel the banks to make greater concessions to the public than they have hitherto done or at present seem inclined to do, if the new Bank Act is taken as a criterion. The observations on the Act published in this issue by Mr. Peter Ryan will afford illuminating information as to the conditions existing in other countries when compared with those in our own

banks.

One matter, which, when the subject of banking is under discussion, should be fully discussed, is the conditions governing the employment of bank clerks. In this issue is published a statement from the Labour Gazette, which is the result of an enquiry made into this question, and when the responsibility of the ordinary bank clerk is taken into consideration, the facts presented in the Labour Gazette give much food for thought as to whether the working employees in the banks, who so materially assist in enabling the institutions in which they are employed to pay large dividends, are equitably treated.

PERSONAL.

The law partnership existing between Alexander Ross and Henry V. Bigelow, Regina, is to be dissolved. Mr. Ross will continue to practice in the offices formerly occupied by the firm in the Kerr Block, while Mr. Bigelow has formed a partnership with Mr. Bruce T. Graham, and under the name of Bigelow & Graham will open offices in Rooms 301 to 303 Kerr Block. Mr. Graham is a son of Mr. Justice Graham, of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and for the last year has lived in Edmonton, Alta.

The

John Allen, a junior member of the firm of Tuper, Galt, Tupper and McTavish, has received the appointment as deputy attorney-general, in succession to R. B. Graham, whose resignation was accepted several weeks ago. announcement of the important appointment was made yesterday by Hon. James Howden, Attorney-General, immediately on the completion of the holidays and his return from Brandon.

It has not definitely been decided when Mr. Allen will enter upon his duties, but it is understood that Mr. Graham will devote a portion of his time during the session at least to the duties of his office in handling the private bills for the legislature. The appointment of Mr. Allen is considered a good one. He is a young man who has made rapid strides in his profession, which he has followed for the past six years.

Miss E. L. Paterson, of Vancouver, is on the list of successful candidates in the first year at the Ontario Law School, at Osgoode Hall, Toronto. Miss Paterson is a graduate of McGill University.

J. C. Brokovski, the well known Macleod barrister, has become associated with the law firm of Lougheed, Bennett & McLaws, of Calgary, and has already gone to Calgary to

take

up his new duties. Mrs. Brokovski will follow about the first of March.

Sir C. H. Tupper and his late partner, W. H. Griffin, are engaged in a law suit, the dispute arising out of difficulties in settling their accounts.

Relatives have received a cablegram announcing the death of Mr. I. C. Haley, of Bradford, England, a member of the law firm of Russell and Co. Mr. Haley had, for many years, made regular trips for his firm, covering the territory between Montreal and Detroit.

the

A new legal firm has just been formed in Quebec under name of Drouin, Drouin, Sèvigny, Drouin and Grenier. M. F. X. Drouin, C.R., former attorney-general of the province of Quebec, is the head of the firm. The other members are M. Omer Drouin, M. Albert Sèvigny, M.P., for Dorchester, Paul Drouin and M. Honorè Grenier.

Mr. M. Wilkins, barrister, late of Arthur, has opened up a law office in the Canadian Building, 84 Victoria street.

St. Thomas will have a new law firm after the first of the year, a partnership having been formed between Ald. E. C. Sanders and Andrew A. Ingram. The latter has for some years been in charge of the legal department of the M. C. R. here and is a rising young barrister. He is a native of St. Thomas, being a son of A. B. Ingram, former M.P. for East Elgin and now a member of the Ontario Railway and Municipal Board.

Mr. Ingram's successor at the M. C. R. offices has not yet been named.

Mr. . J. Summers, editor of the Evening Herald, St. Johns, Nfld., who withdraws from that paper to-day, hopes on Monday to resume his legal practice, which he at no time wholly abandoned. He is as yet undecided as to his new offices, but will probably locate on Duckworth street. His many friends wish him every success in his resumption of his legal work.

T. H. Crerar, of the firm of Crerar & Crerar, Hamilton, which was dissolved in June, last, owing to the death of the late P. D. Crerar, K.C., has taken into partnership LeRoy E. Awrey, who for several years was associated with the firm. of Gibson, O'Reilly & Levy. The new firm will be known as Crerar and Awrey, and will continue business in the offices of the Hamilton Provident building, for so many years occupied by Crerar & Crerar.

Rev. Dr. Eakin, for the past five years a member of the faculty of Toronto University, has resigned to take up the practice of law. In addition to his connection with the university, Dr. Eakin has from time to time supplied the pulpit of St. Andrew church, King street, Hamilton, and has occasioned considerable comment from his view as to eternal punishment.

The law firm of McQuarrie, Martin & Cassady has a suite of six rooms on the sixth floor of the Westminster Trust block, New Westminster.

Francis Ramsay Ball, K.C., one of the oldest barristers in the province, died at his home at Woodstock on January 27th, aged eighty-five years.

He was one of Woodstock's most prominent and publicspirited citizens, and took a foremost part in the beautification of streets and parks.

For forty years he was County Crown-Attorney for Oxford, during which he was one of the prosecution counsel in the Birchell murder trial, being succeeded in office by his son, Robert N. Ball.

Mr. Bernard W. Russell, son of Hon. Mr. Justice Russell, Halifax, who has been practising law at Kentville in association with Roscoe & Roscoe, has been admitted a member of the legal firm of O'Conner and Meagher, Halifax.

T. A. Lynd and E. P. St. John have opened an office for the practise of law in suites 33 and 34, Willoughby block on Twenty-first street, Saskatoon. A. Lynd comes from Moosomin, where he studied under Judge Brown, and since January has been with the firm of Bence, Stevenson and Lynd. E. P. St. John finished his law course with B. D. Macdonald of this city and has since been practising with his brother, Charles W. St. John in Vancouver. Both are well known in the city, Mr. St. John being especially known in sporting and musical circles.

Collingwood is to lose another prominent and well-known citizen, Lt.-Col. G. W. Bruce, who will go shortly to the Manitoba city of Brandon.

Col. Bruce will enter the legal firm of Coldwell, Coleman & Curran, taking the place of the latter, who was recently appointed to the King's Bench of Manitoba. The firm, of which Hon. G. R. Coldwell, Minister of Education, is the senior member, has been in Brandon many years and enjoys a wide practice.

A convention in Montreal, to be attended by the Lord Chancellor of England, the Right Hon. R. L. Borden, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, ex-President Taft, the president of the French Cour de Cassation, the battonier and distinguished members of the Paris Bar, such is the function which will take place in Montreal next September, if the carefully-laid

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