The Chief Justice And Apartheid

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32274, 17 April 1970, Page 12

The Chief Justice And Apartheid

Sir,—What is the jtate of mind of any man or any country whose .people hold to a creed that leading public men should not reveal personal views, regarding national issues? Logically, it really does mean that we are stimulating, should we support this view, the promotion of men who are suited because they are Incapable of thinking for themselves. The schizophrenic, leaders qf the future! Contrary to. What some may thirik, 1 think men like the Chief-Justice show real moral guts when they give a view that IS expressly personal and a view that is under no guise that it is repr resentative of any' body or creed, !' feel that sotnehOw a broad inference has got across that controversy is detrimental for New Zealand society, though this ‘ would barely account for. -the target such “dissenters” become for a most irrational; bdrftgeqf misplaced aggression! in many ways, and fortunately, we are a young country. Bitt only when the nihn nuts out such issues for himself can we describe, our, selves as a developing country.—Yours, etc., ■ N. L. GRESSON 1 .. April 16, 1970. Sir,—lt is iiflposiiblj for leaders to . cast-off thpir'inana before making statement oh important matters. Si r Richard Wild, Chief Justice, cannot become Dick Wild, plain average' * stteefl; Sy using; a form Of Words. .'On the other hand,- it is intolerable that a than '■should be muzzled. The background to this conflict'is another conflict, namely, that between the palpably unrealistic modus vivendi arrived at between the Government and sporting bodies that politics and sport never intersect and the fact of life that do, under apartheid. I flow regard Sir Richard Wild’s statement as. noteworthy only in isolattofi but .pointing inexorably to 1 the urgent necessity for our« members qf Parliament to state their positions. Then mlr position at the United Nations ean bet made unequivocal,. oh* wky or the other.—Yours, ete A ; - J:. DUGtyALE.’ April 16, 1970. i Temporary Buildings Sir,—l live about one mile north of the Square. A nearby private school has several

prefabricated classrooms of the, temporary variety. I always thought that such buildings were given only temporary permits, but these have been in place for four or five years. What are the Christchurch City Council’s regulations regarding such buildings?—Yours, etc.. CITIZEN. April 6, 1970. ■ [The City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular), replies: “ ‘Citizen' is not sufficiently explicit for me to determine exactly the school referred to. So far as dan be ascertained from the description given, there are i)o ‘temporary permits’ in existence for the buildings deferred to. It is a common misconception that prefabricated buildings are automatically in non-compliance With the by-laws. They can, and generally do, comply. Only special circumstances Would be considered by the council before a temporary permit would be issued, and this would be subject to a bond. Should ‘Citizen’ care to call at this office with specific information every endeavour would be made to clarify the situation.”]