NEW SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17989, 16 July 1920, Page 6

NEW SOLICITOR-GENERAL

FAREWELL FROM OTAGO BAR. Members of the Otago Bar assembled in the library. Law Courts, yesterday afternoon to bid farewell to Mr W. C. MacGregor, K.C., who has for some years filled the' position of Crown Prosecutor at Dunedin, and was recently appointed SolicitorGeneral'for New Zealand. Mr B. S. Irwin (president of the Law Society) occupied the chair, and there was a good muster of the legal fraternity, including practically all the leading members. The Chairman, addressing the guest of the occasion, said that the members of the profession practising in Dunedin and the svuTQunding districts had asked _ him; to meet them in order that they might have an opportunity of congratulating him. upon his appointment to the high and honourable position of Solicitor-General for New Zealand, and also to bid farewell to him prior to his departure from Dunedin. The members of the legal profession throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand had acclaimed the appointment, and no dissentient voice had been heard in connection with the appointment. He thought Mr MacGregor would appreciate the feelings of his late fellow practitioners when he -told him, there was no member of the bar practising in the district, and in fact, so far as they knew, throughout New Zealand, who did not agree that the appointment was the only appointment that could have been made in the circumstances. —(Applause.) Mr MacGregor had for many years been one of the leaders of the bar in Dunedin, and he had appeared very successfully indeed in all the leading cities "in both criminal and civil cases for some ■years' 1 past, and it had been appreciated >f6r' some time that his appointment to an (rven more responsible position then that of Solicitor-General might be expected. If ■any surprise had been occasioned to the members of the bar in Otago it was that instead of being appointed to the position of Solicitor-General" Mr MacGregor had not. been appointed one of the judges of the Supreme Court. However, members of the profession felt that the appointment was but a stepping stone to further honours, which he deserved, and when tho further honour was conferred upon him ho could rest assured that the members of the profession would appreciate it. They knew it was a iwrer-ch to Mr MacGregor to go away from the district in which he had passed so many years of his life and in which he had attained such success in his profession. Mr Irwin expressed the hope that Mr 3 MacGregor and family would have a pleasant time in Wellington, that his friends would hear from him. and that he would; find time to visit them and renew old acquaintance. In conclusion, the Chairman referred to the happy personal relations that had existed between Mr MacGregor and himself. On many occasions ho had been under a debt of gratitude for advice .freely given. Since Mr MacGregor's appointment as Crown Prosecutor, also, he I had had occasion to meet him frequently, and his sympathy towards accused persons, and his fairness towards counsel defending accused persona had been most marked, and had befcn much appreciated by counsel. Mr S. Solomon. K.C., expressed pleasure at being given the opportunity of adding his tribute of respect and admiration for Mr MacGregor. They had been at the bar together almost from the time they were lads, , had appeared together, and had appeared against one another. He had been brought into contact with nearly every barrister, of importance in New Zealand, and there was no man he knew more fitted to grace and do honour to the highest position the law could give than Mr MacGregor. He had all the attributes essentia"; to the position he was called to. It was given to no man to be a perfect advocate; all they could hope was to have gome of the attributes which, taken together, made a great barrister. Mr MacGregor had a great many of those attributes. He had a forceful character, was a good speaker, and in many ways "filled the .bill" to a large ' extent. When Mr MacGregor had gone into a case he had gone in to win, fighting his oase hard. He had played the game hard and strong, and that was wanted in a barrister; a barrister not prepared t'o do that was not worth his salt. Not only did . they ..feel honoured in Dunedin by Mr MacGregor's appointment, but they felt that the people among whom he was going to live should also feel honoured. Mr A. S. Adams said that he and their guest were students at tho same time, and were admitted to the Bar within two days

of each other in 1883.. He most gladly and raosfc cordially associated himself with what had been stilted by Mr Solomon. He had never known a case in which Mr MacGregor, through any failure of his own, injured the interests of a client. He (Mr Adams) had appeared before most of the judges on the bench during the last_ 30 years,, and had had to fight cases against most of the leading advocates here and there, and it was no compliment to Mr MacGregor to say that one's work had been made as strenuous by him as by any other advocate at present practising in tho dominion. He very heartily wished Mr MacGregor success and what pleasures could be looked for in fulfilling the duties of the high office to which he had been called.

Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., speaking on behalf of the Magisterial Bench, in the unavoidable absence of Mr Widdowson, said his earliest connection with Mr MacGregor took him back some 18 years, when he was favoured by him with a junior brief, his first appearance in court. The magistrates had always welcomed Mr MacGregor in court. They knew at anyratc his case would never 'be dull. As one sittinsr in & judicial position ho would like unqualifiedly to endorse what had been said with regard to Mr MaoGregor's capabilities and attainments. • One particular phase had always struck the magistrates; Mr MacGregor never knew what a weak or losing case was. His case was never lost until the verdict was given, and his strenuous advocacy was really a model for young practitioners. His presentation of his case was cogent and his criticism of his opponents incisive. The Bench oould rely on the possibilities of the case being exhausted and all the mattors bearing on it thrashed out. He wished Mr MacGregor a successful occupancy of the high position he had to fill and in the higher office lie might in future be called upon to undertake. Mr MacGregor' thanked those present for the cordial way in which they had spoken, lie had spent a somewhat uncomfortable 20 minutes, having to listen to a number of statements —many of' which he knew to be grossly exaggerated—without being able to contradict them. They meant well, though possibly the colours had been touched up in somewhat high relief. With regard to his position as Solicitor-General, he had not sought the appointment. At the same time the offer had been made in such a way that he felt it his duty and privilege to accept it.. As had been stated, it was a severe wrench to go away from Dunedjn. He "would do his best to fulfil the duties of his new position, and trusted that in doing his best in the wider sphere he would never forgot or disappoint his old friends at the Ota go Bar. Afternoon tea was provided, giving those present the opportunity of a chat with Mr MacGregor before his departure.