I can cope with new jobs — S.M.

Press, 7 April 1978, Page 1

I can cope with new jobs — S.M.

Christchurch’s former senior magistrate, Mr W. F. Brown, S.M., who has been recovering from a long and much publicised illness, says he has no doubt about his ability to cope with the Ministry of Transport posts to which he has just been appointed. He described as “unkind and unhelpful” a published report yesterday which questioned his fitness for the job. . “I believe I am fit and able to do the job, so do my medical advisers, and so does the Minister of Justice,” he said last evening.

Mr Brown has been absent from the Bench since the end of May last year, first on sabbatical leave „and then on sick leave. During that time Mr Brown’s absence has been in the public eye. Yesterday’s report referred to the five weeks Mr Brown spent in the psychiatric ward at Princess Margaret Hospital earlier this year and made the point that - he was still under medical care.

The report was prompted by the announcement this week that Mr Brown has been appointed the Transport Licensing Appeal Authority, the Transport Charges Appeal Authority, and the Air Services Licensing Appeal Authority. It called on the Minister of Justice (Mr Thomson) and the Minister of Transport (Mr McLachlan) to answer the questions it had raised about Mr Brown’s health

and ability to handle the job. Mr McLachlan said that Mr Thomson had given him an assurance that Mr Brown’s health was “all right” before the appointments were made. Mr McLachlan said he had asked Mr Thomson to check Mr Brown’s health before the Government Caucus made the selection, and Mr Thomson had provided a clearance.

Mr Brown himself described the report as “unkind and unhelpful for someone having just recovered from an illness and about to embark on a very responsible job.”

“The job is new to me and I need to go into it with full confidence,” he said. “It is true that 1 have been getting over an illness, but my medical advisers have told me that I am fit for my work. The story was not helpful, and does nothing to help one's confidence.” The Minister of Justice (Mr Thomson) said last evening that it was known Mr Brown was ill and had needed medical attention and obviously could not carry on his duties as a magistrate at that time. Because of this, there had been pressure to have Mr Brown transferred from the Magistrate's Court in Christchurch. However, Mr Thomson said in an interview with Radio New Zealand that after Mr Brown’s successful treatment he had been “quite assured" that Mr Brown had recovered, and so had offered him the new posts.