SUPREME COURT BENCH

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 300, 15 September 1936, Page 10

SUPREME COURT BENCH

4 Acting-Chief Justice Nears Retiring Age At the end of this year the actingChief Justice (Sir John Reed) will reach the age at which it is provided under the Judicature Act that judges shall retire. He has been a Judge of the, Supseme Court of New Zealand since 1921. His retirement will create a vacancy in the strength of the Bench, which is nine puisne judges and a Chief Justice. There is already much speculation in legal circles about a possible successor. With ihe probability of a good deal of work to, occupy one 6 puisne judge, .Mr. Justice Johnston, on the Court of Review, owing to the mortgage legislation, it is most likely that an appointment will be made early next year. The name of the Attorney-General (Hon! H. G. R. Mason) is being mentioned. and while such an appointment is most unlikely, it is not without precedent, as in the case of Sir Alexander Herdman, who went from the AttorneyGeneralship to the Supreme Court Bench. It has become almost a precedent to appoint holders of the office of SolicitorGeneral to the Bench, but in succession to previous Solicitor-Generals on retirement or death. The present Solicitor-General is Mr. H. H. Cornish, K.C. Previous Solicitor-Generals, in line, who were made judges were Sir John Salmond and Mr. Justice McGregor, both now deceased, and Mr. Justice Fair, a present Judge. As a rule judges are recruited from Ring’s Counsel. Present King’s Counsel in New Zealand are Mr. A. C. Hanlon (Dunedin), Mr. F. Wilding (Christchurch), Mr. C. H. Weston, Mr. H. F. O’Leary and Mr. P. B. Cooke (Wellington) and Mr. A- H. Johnstone (Auckland). Messrs. Hanlon and Wilding are past the age at which appointments are likely to be offered them. Mr. Johnstone is known to have declined a judgeship on a previous occasion. Ot the remaining three Mr. O’Leary, who is president of the New Zealand Law Society, is looked upon as the one most likely to be offered appointment, but Mr. Cooke also is a lawyer of out? standing ability. Mr. Justice Ostler will become senio. puisne judge on Sir John Reed s re ire-, ment and. when occasion requires, will be aeting-Chief Justice. A puisnes judge cannot become Chief Justice, thol, S puisne judges are often senior in length of service to a Chief Justice. Sir John Reed was born iat Ips wic h. Queensland, on December 26. 1864, anti educated at Auckland Grammar School. Dunedin High School, Victoria College (Jersey) and Clare College, Cambridge. He Itogan Ws law training in the office of Messrs. Devore and Cooper, Auck--ISB7 He practised in the Bay pt Islands district for some years, and in 1896 established himself at Auckland. He became head of the firm of Towle, Hellaby and Cooper and was with it when called to the Bench in 1921. He was an enthusiastic territorial nfficer and was lieutenant-colonel in fan try He retired in 1911 with the rank of colonel. That year he was ap pointed Judge-Advocate-General for Xew Zealand, and for his services in that capacity was awarded the C.B.E. in 1919 Six years before he was made a King’s Counsel,