CHIEF JUSTICE RETIRES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 248, 1 August 1946, Page 2

CHIEF JUSTICE RETIRES

SIR MICHAEL MYERS HONOURED TRIBUTES TO EMINENT JURIST (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 31. The Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Myers, P.C., A.C.M.G., K.C., Chief Justice of New Ze3aland, sat on the Bench in the Wellington Supreme Court to-day for the last time, his retirement ending a career in law which evoked exceptional tributes from members of that profession.

Nearly 200 members of both branches of the profession were present to do him honour, including representatives of district law societies outside Wellington, and messages were received from other districts expressing regret that the Bench should lose lose such a capable and eminent jurist. Mr H. E. Evans, K.C., after giving a. message from Mr Mason, said the Bar was deeply sensible for the loss which the whole Dominion had suffered by reason of his Honour's retirement after 17 years on the judicial Bench, with every qualification which could be the result of great natural gifts developed with energy, industry and courage, and guided by the best traditions of the profession after 32 years of varied, distinguished and successful practice at the Bar before every court, including the judicial committee of the Privy Council. His Honour could hardly be said to have specialised in any one branch of law, for he had become a master in .them all.

Protection of Public

Mr Evans also referred to Sir Michael Myers’ practice of always, with, due regard to the protection of the public, mercifully keeping in mind the reformation of the offender, and his latest service which had been to a cause of vital importance to the whole world when, at short notice, he undertook an arduous journey to America and had a hand in the drafting of the Statute of the International Court of Justice. Mr O’Leary (president of the New Zealand Law Society) added tributes on behalf of the practitioners of New Zealand, and expressed the wish that Sir Michael and Lady Myers would have a long, happy, well-merit-ed retirement. “That you should attend to-day in your numbers to bid me farewell and that your spokesmen should have spoken of me as they have done are the crowning acts of courtesy, kindness, confidence and generosity with which I have invariably been treated both at the Bar and on the Bench by the members of both branches of the profession in this district and, indeed, throughout the Dominion,” said Sir Michael, who prefaced his remarks by saying that he never for a moment thought it would be so difficult for him to say farewell. If, as you seem to be good enough to think, any small service that I have been able to render has been of value to the profession, I can only answer that what I may have done is little enough return for what the profession of law and those Avho practise it have done for me.”

Many Factors

The Chief Justice said that. whatever success he had achieved had (been contributed ;to by many factors, not the least of which had been the privilege of association at the outset of his career with two great masters of the profession, Mr Gully and Mr (later Sir Francis) Bell, and his early contact with two great judges, Mr Justice Richmond and Mr Justice Prendergast. Another great help had been the assistance of a painstaking and upright Bar and a conscientious, ciligent and honourable body of solicitors. His Honour also paid “tribute to the work of a fine body of registrars, deputies and other officers of the Supreme Court. The judges worked as a team, he continued, and he coukl say with great appreciation that he always had some excellent colleagues without whose loyal co-operation, always cheerfully given, the- Court’s business could not have been successfully carried out. He referred to the magistrates as a competent and honourable band who performed most valuable services to the ISTate. The Press of New Zealand he had found fa*ir and honourable during his long career. There had been many occasions he had had to take reporters into his confidence, and there had been no breach of that confidence. A tribute was also paid to the Police Force.