THE CHIEF JUSTICE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 218, 25 June 1943, Page 3

THE CHIEF JUSTICE.

ABSENCE FROM CIVIC RECEPTION WELLINGTON, June 24. His reasons for not attending the civic reception to Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg at Wellington are explained by the Chief Justice (the Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Myers) in a letter to the editor of the “Evening Post ” which was printed to-day. The Chief Justice saj^s: “I feel that an explanation is due to my fellow citizens for my absence from the civic reception on Tuesday to a most distinguished visitor whom it was the desire and delight of every citizen to honour. On Monday afteinoon, as I had not received an invitation, though I knew others had, inquiries were made from the Town Clerk, which elicited that he had not sent me an invitation, and had not reserved seats, according to timehonoured custom, because of ‘instructions from higher up’ to that effect. However, he again saw the person who had so instructed him, and later telephoned that that person ‘will consider your request.’

“An invitation was delivered to me on Tuesday morning, but plainly in the circumstances I could not act upon it. “Ordinarily I should ignore the incident, but this particular gathering of cirizens was one of which it may well be thought that the citizen holding the office that I hold should have attended. That is the sole reason for my asking that this explanation should be published,’'