MANY REQUESTS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 255, 25 July 1935, Page 10

MANY REQUESTS

Justices of the Peace Federation

CHANGES IN LAW

Minister and Representative Deputation

Twenty-three remits passed by the annual, conference of justices of the peace were submitted yesterday lo the Minister of Justice, tlie Hon. J. G. Cobbe, by a deputation from tlie Federation of tlie New Zealand Justices’ Associations. The deputation comprised Messrs. A. Stratford, H. H. Seaton, 11. W. Shortt, A. Longmore. G. L. Arcus, who supported tlie remits and explained the reasons for submitting them for Ministerial approval and action. The requests of ' tlie deputation, .summarised, were as follows: — Abolition of tlie grand jury system, as in Great Britain. Amendments of the Child Welfare Act in respect of orders concerning delinquent children and anomalies. Urgent necessity for enforcing existing regulations regarding sliced of motor vehicles and headlights. Compilation of an up-to-date official list of justices of the peace as the only available one includes 15 per cent, of those who are dead. Abolition of tlie obsolete practice of placing notices regarding objection to the jury list on the doors of churches and public buildings. No attachment of old age pensions when such attachment deprives the pensioner of food. Provision of central offices in Auckland. Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin for use by J.P.’s and members of the public. Reinstatement of tlie annual supply of official postage stamps to the justice of the peace associations and a grant of £2O worth of postage stamps for distribution among tlie 13 associations and a federal body all doing good work. Legislation to assist in bringing about appointments of J.P's who have given service to the community rather than supporting any political party or person. Railway travelling concessions to justices of tlie peace associations and executive members of the federation when travelling upon important business in connection with justice. An imperative demand for public safety on tlie highways of the Dominion, the present death roll throwing a grave responsibility upon the authorities Several other remits were more or less allied to those already summarised. The .Minister's Reply. After different members of tlie deputation bad supported each remit in turn tlie Minister successively replied to each. As regards the suggested abolition of tlie grand jury system, Mr. Cobbe said his department was watching very closely tlie result of the experiment in Great Britain and the matter would be given full consideration. Ho agreed, that tlie placarding of the doors of public buildings with notices calling for objections to the jury list was rather antiquated and ho was inclined to hold the deputation’s opinion about it. He could assure them that the Child Welfare Act was being considered and would be revised particularly in tlie direction of removing existing anomalies. As regards tlie remits dealing with motor vehicles, noisy motor-cycles and danger on the highway, these questions did not come under his jurisdiction, but he would submit them to the Minister of Transport. Exercise of Diplomacy. Dealing with the requests for stamps, railways and other concessions, the Minister aroused laughter by gravely assuring tlie deputation that its requests had been noted, whereupon a member said, “I think tlie Hon. Minister is very diplomatic.” Referring to the appointment of J.P.’s, tlie Minister said that every care was taken Io investigate the nominations and in each case a report was submitted to tlie stipendiary magistrate in each district for consideration. An effort was being made to prepare an up-to-date list of justices as it was recognised that the existing roll was obsolete. Consideration would be given to the suggestion about establishing central offices, but his own experience as a J.r. for some 20 years had shown that most people would go to tlie nearest justice of the peace for a signature to a document. It seemed to him that tlie fact that a Wellington business man was signing between two and three hundred documents a week suggested that (he num was very popular. Finally, the Minister assured die deputation all tlie points he had raised would lie given careful consideration.