THE CRY FOR A REINFORCED BENCH.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 8

THE CRY FOR A REINFORCED BENCH.

> ■■' .'.';." •..•■■■■';'.',',■ '"."'—»'.; *.'.'■ ■;•'■■'•;-'/ > ; LETTER BY THE;CHIEF': JUSTICE. ■:. s■ ! - ' '' -■ ■.- ";V - '■'<''' . -...':._ - '■. - V;y; ■;' ' TEMPORARY JJJDGE NO^BEQUIRED... . , The Minister for' Justice'(Hin;. DK Kndlay) : ; paying, referred the questions of'; the-appoint- ; meat of a.temporary judge.toSthe Chief-:Jus--5 ticeiSir Eobert : Stout), -theilatter has replied to:the effect that such an appointment'is nof 1 required. The Minister,'.therefore, does.nol >. intend to ask Cabinet,;to;reinforce the' Bencl 5 ,in the.manner suggested. ~■.;"';.'■•; .'.'.■■■■■; v ■:'; r - Sir Eobert; Stout's. letter is :as-: follows:—S y »' ' ..: ' '■': . ;: -'-':-:. Judges' Chambers, ■'. .-' ■-. • ' . v 'Wellington, :14th January, • 1909. ■' ; : To the Hon. the Minister.for Justice, .:.■;■' [: [ '.■"■; _ ■.;:; ;■ ;' : Wellington, -■; ; :;;:-.; ~> :"t v [' Sir,—l have, the honour to -acknowledge reeeipt 1 -of ; your. letter' of ■ yesterday's" date - : and enclosure,: namely,; a copy ■ of >a letter froa I the president of-the Wellington-District lan t. Society.: ;.' - :■■ '■.■•..'•"■"■. : -.---: ; - .■;; ; ---- ; J 3-,.,. 1-anv leaving for"Auckland'this afternobn' v t( 1. attend a: ; meetmg of, the. New-Zealand'TJniver l t sity. Senate, and I have, therefore; no time t< 3 communicate-- with' their. honbiifs'Mr."Justici .-■ Cooper and Mr..Justice Chapman. : ->lri fact'] j : do-not;know where they'are-at 'pfesent. ■ Thej •• have not, however, informed Vine'-'.that they.- re '' quire :tha-assistance of'a 'temporary! judge " xhey have "had much work' to do' in . the .pas'i -■ year, but .there is not, in my-ppinißn, work'foi 1 three judges.-. There are only three judge! 1 .outside Wellington district, and the-legal.'Wdrl tln ,the W.dli[ngton,,district>does not: equal; thi 1 wort, done in^ucWjindinnd.Christchiirch-com a ,bmed... I.haye v -before. in'e-aiijeturn' of,-the :wpri _ 'done.in the various'iSupreme'. Court'"districts— that is,' includin^;the-wbrk'-(l6neion. , -circuits .:-. and I nnd.that in the Auckland district ant „•: : circuits there were 166 indictments, preferret °. for,. 1907,-, in -Wellington and I '''circuits i9i; ; 'ii ■y Christohureh:' and circuits: 74, and. in Dunedh * and-oircuits.ss,,.Of civil'trials,-'there wereii j Auoklarid: district and': circuits 45," in ■'■ Welling ;■ ton- district .and-circuits 81; '.in Christchnrcl 7 district!and circuits:s4; and , in Dunedin.anc -.. circu'its v 24;"-:The.'writs-:issued-'in'-'the'Var'iou! districts were':—Auckland■Mβ,: , 'Wellington 1 256 ■■■ -Ohristchurch:,ll2; and Dunedin-81. I.have.no 2 obtained '(I they are not';.yet -obtain >_■ able) all the returns l for-the. year 1908, but ; r, ..shpuldr not: think that thereiavas- much-differ - : \ ence of .1907; -which: I:have given ''i. It will be see'n'that the two judgesdn Welling >; ton have not. more work to! do , *.than,.e.g., th ■»'■ :,'separate judges in'Auckland ; and Christchurch '• As to the Wellingtonr.distriot,' I- enclos'e-,th ;: • .fuH returns '.. of:.-. the \ work;done: i n , criminal am ■ civil: business, in:' the . Wellington. district f6 8. 1906; -190.7,'; and 1908;. They only include. We] ;. lington -sittings, and '.'d0..n0t..-include -circuits 6 ;ltwill 'be; seen'.that'in Wellington .'in 1906 i: :■. rcrimlnal.'dase. there '.were 55 sitting: 'days';---'! g! 1907, 65; in • 1908; '58. ; In: civil -cases'\in/190( .. UO; sitting:days;' in-1907,:98 j: -and'.in .1908,■ 81 J In"'Chambers in'il9o6 there-were 166 sittin °- days; in. 1907, ,155'.';sitting 'days;'.'and-'in'l9oi 174'.sitting>;days... In Banco .'in:.1906,..64 sittin 11' ' daysfin : 1907;127 sitting:days; ; .in 19'08,-100 sil i- ting-days. ;-In Divorce in 1906, , '56' sittings -days '■: in-1907,-38 "sitting days;,'and-in 1908, 21 sittin ■'■•'. days.' Bankruptcy, in' 1906,' 14 'days'; in 1907,'1 .-. days; and in 1908,18 days."■•J'inaj."add: , that th ;'i fees of the.Court in 1903 iwefe''.below:what' th lees ivere'.in':l9o7 by &M\ • It will:be therefor . seen fro'mvthese 'statistics : that'; there was nc "'; inore work'done nor to do : : in 1908 than { in.th previous: two .year's,' and, in' the; previous", hv ■ years'there- were? only two -judges in)-We : A lington. ~ / v : : .> .;;•: :.:.;.H'';:=7 : -; ■.■■:'' .- :-\-. : ■"■ d. .The. weakness,'in-my bpinio'n/.in ourjudici; J- system is. tho want''of ■speoialisationin'.judibit t- work." I have dealt, with, this question in f:, .letter on /the ■ Judicaturei 'Bill:- .which 'I'.-at K dreSssd-..tp\ithe .Chairman koi~. the':Statutes Ei 3, vision,' Committee. ;I- believa ; 'youi have 'a.cop h of: that, letter..- I : pointed- oiit '".-.that-,'the '.tim 6, occupied by;- Supreme .Court judges in ..Coui 0.', , of Appeal .'work was the reason , 'wny there' wo ■ ' soinetimes'."delay, ih the -hearing, of , Supreni ); Court'cases,, and I.'supported/ the'establishmer 1- of-.an ; Appeal. Court with judges-not doin )» .Supreme Court-work. There:is, however,..somi £ ;times.another potent cause.bf 1 delay in hearin 8,, Supreme Cqurt-actions.and.that.is'.that piai . ? titioners; either ■-through their--own: or.:thei 0.. clients' engagements, .are notl.dlways. ready,t s- proceed .with thoir oases'on the; dates fixed-fc l: : their hearing. As an-illustration of this, Ima o-- state -that :before' the;. olos'e./ofvthe :year- hi 8, Honour' Mr. .Justice '.Denniston xame-froi ,'■•• Christchurch'ito hear -cases;: and : in''iseveral ii p. stances adjournments; had'to : bB granted or th ia cases'postponed. TheCourtwas ready but '-th o. praotitioners were h0t.:... ,':, v f;;:. v ,; ■ ■'..';.; r-; :. If there, is .a heavy'strain ,ri"eit r year-ckst-o 8, the judges' in the Wellington district, I.have a doubt' that .■.arrangements- ! cah'.;be" made"t );. slightly alter-the .date of: the: Blenheim an ;h' 'Nelson sittings, "and perhaps Mr. v Justice:Der 5,' nistpn: could undertake, the .work of. those cii 1-- iouits.'-'This' .would, give considerable relief; t 8, the two'judges'resident in: Wellington, and . have-no doubt t'uey : will find rip diffioulty i: i- undertaking all. the work for them todo. : : :I se r- no reason, therefore,.for:the ; appointment.\.f o.; temporary: judge.—l am,-' sir;...t:'. ; . ;, :■ ■.] '-.. ~ , . Your, obedient servant,; ~:-'■,: 8 - ; ■'•■' ;y ; :■ .(Signed)'.; V^KOBEKT-STOTOT. t LETTER.FBOM MINISTER-JCffi; JUSTICE I'. >;TheVHon. Dri.Findlay;.Minister 8* ,tice, addressed the. following.; letter yester '■' 'day to Mr. T. Young, president; of the We] 2, lington District. Law Society.:--;-.,- - ~■ • ); ~ "I communicated the purporfof.your lette i- .to me of the'l2th to -the.CGhief: Justice a " land with his permission I , ; enclose'for yoi n : a copy-;bf;his reply. -You will'see:-'that; hi f' Honour does not.- consider the: appoiiitmon ,'■ of: a temporary judge is necessary. .His riei { t of..the. fact, .stated■ in'his,Honour's letter r- aiid ..of- his, .Honour's conclusion,'-. it seem clear that the G6vernmeiit:cannot.bb;asked:tt o. appoint presently another judge "to hold'offici : ! during the absencoof the Chief Justice. :: ,tt haveino doubt that before leaving his Hon'ou ;will make, the arrangement suggested 'in'thj '? last paragraph of his letter,: aiid;so re 2 lieve tho strain cast on.the judge in the ; Wel lington district." :; . y l V; ;: /, ■8 ; . ■■' ! -: : ; [ ~- i '-- ■'.•■ " : ■•■■i'-..'-^"-'■;■' ':■■':.:■■. ■Any suggestion that'he'should;;learn to haii 1 die a rifle so that:he'may'.be able;to defend hi ,d country in case , of need rouses; him. to violen opposition and • makes' him talk- angrily ab'ou ,G the. "curse ■ of'militarism'-'—tKat :: there is'.; :;'. greater curse,' the curse of. a -'slovenly .want b n patriotism,- never even enters his mind.—"Nay ■ League Journal" on Little Eriglanders. ■■'■'■' ,-s In Britain people look upon '"grafting" as i S. disgraceful occupation. Here—let us b^-franl —too many:of us regard'it as:an evidence o rs "smartness." We do,not socially ostracise' th 3; man who is caught making'an .-illegitimate pro • fit-out of the country. In fact|,we do not osti-n ;e cise the successful thief on a large scaleat al >e in- this country or on this'; contmcut.—"Cana dian Courjer," Toronto. :■;. ..„■'■• ■-■■'■