JUDGES' SALARIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 280, 26 November 1931, Page 10

JUDGES' SALARIES.

REFERENCE BY MR. DOWNIE STEWART.

"Will Mr. Stewart be consistent > and agree to a reduction in Mr. Sterlings salary, the salaries of judges, and his own salary?" was a question asked of Mr, Downie Stewart, Minister ot Finance, at his meeting at Dunedm on Monday night. Mr. Stewart said that Ins salary and that of other members of Parliament had already been reduced. Judges had been paid for centuries under the system of the English Constitution, and these rates were not open to review. Judges were placed beyond considerations of political influence, and they could not® hope to liave_ their salaries raised or lowered by this means, .tie thought it would have been a> gracious thing on the part of the judges to have offered to take a reduction. The Gover-nor-General had twice offered to accept reductions. Ho thought that in 1921-2-the judges had offered to accept a leduction. He did not know "why thej did not make a similar offer on this occasion. Mr. Sterling's salary had been heavily reduced when ho had accepted the position of chairman of the Railway Board. He had earned his superannuation and he had to pay towards it.