JUSTICES OF THE PEACE

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22033, 5 March 1937, Page 18

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE

ANNUAL CONFERENCE CONTINUED

MANY REMITS DISCUSSED

The annual conference of the New Zealand Federation of Justices of the Peace Associations was continued m the City Council Chambers yesterday morning, when many remits were discussed. The president, Mr A. H. Hobbs, of Christchurch, was in the ctaur. On behalf of the Gisborne AssodaVon Mr J. Jackson moved: That tne Minister for Justice be requested. Ten a resident of a district g recommended for appointment ,*> the Commission of Peace, to ask lor a his l h h e ara^e? S and ability from the Justices of the Peace Ssociation in the district in which %St h was passed, after a brief SSTIa Sst S been before the Government time and time again. ,_ For the Southland s0^ iat W A. Ott moved and Mr R. J. Gumming seconded: "That the Minister for See be asked to Polish, the existjng obsolete practice of having notices regarding objections to t the jury list posted on the doors of all public buildThis remit was also carried. The appointment of women comagistrates to sit on the bench with presiding magistrates'was advocated in a remit from the Auckland Association. The remit, which was moved by Mr V. Coyle, was as follows: "We ask that the Government make provision for the appointment of a woman magistrate to sit on the bench with the presiding magistrate in all cases where women or children appear. We recommend this appointment in each of the four centres." The remit was amended as follows and passed: "That the Government be asked that in all cases where women or children appear a woman justice be asked to sit on the bench with the magistrate."

Use of letters J.P.

A remit put forward by Mr A. Williams, for the Canterbury Association, suggesting that the conference should consider discouraging the use of the letters J.P. in any form of advertising was lost. Two other remits submitted by the Canterbury Association were also lost One sought to draw the attention of the Government to the need for enforcing the laws of the Dominion, particularly under the Sunday trading and licensing acts, and the other urged the need for legislation to prohibit petrol lorries traversing city streets at all hours of the day, and suggested that before 7 a.m. should be the regulation time for this kind of traffic.

The object of this last remit, Mr Williams said, was to eliminate the risk of accident to one of these lorries and the consequences that might follow. In allowing these vehicles to use the streets at all times, the people of New Zealand had been living in a fool's paradise. An expert on the subject had told him that there was ho danger until an accident occurred, but •when there was an accident, it would be "God help the city." Mr Williams went on to give details of the consequences of accidents involving petrol lorries overseas.

Considerable discussion followed on this remit before it was finally put to the vote and lost on the voices. Other remits passed dealt with domestic affairs of the federation. The conference will be concluded to-day.