PRIME MINISTER AND JUDGES

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23194, 4 December 1940, Page 5

PRIME MINISTER AND JUDGES

♦ LAND COMPENSATION CASES POSSIBLE MISCONSTRUCTION OF REMARKS [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, December 3. That he had full confidence in the judges of the Supreme Court, and nothing but • admiration for their ability, integrity, and devotion to the principles of justice, was emphasised by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) in a statement in the House this evening.

The Prime Minister said his attention had been directed to a press report in the third person of his remarks in the committee stage of the Small Farms Amendment Bill, and which contained the following words; "The Government was convinced that the tribunals would do the job better than it had been done previously.” The report did not purport to be verbatim. Mr Fraser said, but it was pointed out that the condensation of his remarks which appeared in it lent itself to the impression that he was personally, by implication, reflecting on the work of judges of the Supreme Court in connexion with land compensation • cases. "Nothing was further from my thoughts,” said Mr Fraser, "than to create any such impression, and certainly I had no such intention of casting the slightest doubt on the capacity or integrity of judges. Indeed, as I considered that I was meticulously careful to ensure that my remarks should be free from any misconstruction, I was surprised to be informed -that the misinterpretation mentioned was possible. I felt somewhat aggrieved that even, from a report necessarily much abbreviated, anyone could possibly gather the impression that I was so unmindful of my position as Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Representatives as to express lack of confidence m the judges of the Supreme Court. “However, as the matter has been raised, I am pleased to take this opportunity of stating that, like my immediate predecessor in office, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, and all former Prime Ministers, I have full confidence ln judges of the Supreme Court, and nothing but admiration for their ability, integrity, and devotion to the principles of justice.”