JUDGES AND COMMISSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 134, 7 June 1911, Page 8

JUDGES AND COMMISSIONS.

PAYMENTS FOR EXTRA WORK, MINISTER FOR JUSTICE EXPLAINS. (By Telegraph.—press Association.* WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Speaking at n. gathering o f the Women's Social and Political L *° this evening, the Hon. G. Fcnrtda r* ferred to the recent attacks made by Opposition speakers on the Supreme Court Bench. When expressing any opinion on the question whether it was desirable that Supreme Court Judges should be appointed to special commissions and paid for the %xt ti judicial work done thereon, Opposition members had attempted to make it an- ' pear thaf this sort of proceedings wsa a new and wicked innovation on the part of the present Government. For instance, in connection with the revision of the statutes, a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand had been anpointed on a similar commission, and had received payment for services rendered in connection therewith. The appointment and payment were made with the" approval of two different Governments— the Grey and the Hall Governments--and the payments were passed by two different Parliaments, and as far aa was known, no accusation of impro. priety had been made against either of the Governments concerned. He claimed that in such work as revision of the ■ statutes it was essential that the iighest judicial mind in the country should be at the service of the Government. That it should be held that such service done in the Judge's time should not be paid for was quite in keeping with the in- 1 clination to "sweat," which the Oppoa-. tion and its class had shown in the past. Considering the importance of the native land question smd the confused state into which the native-land law had got" it was equally important that theVser- - vices of the highest judicial authority should be available to bring about a satisfactory settlement of. the difficulty. He ventured the opinion that if the report of the Native Land Commission, had been in favour of the wholesale alienation of native lands to all and sundry without regard to native interests, the action of the Government in appointing the Chief Justice on that Commission would have been hailed W .a manifestation of wisdom.