THE BUSY COURTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 143, 14 December 1933, Page 10

THE BUSY COURTS

JUDGES WORKING UNDER

PRESSURE

A further indication of the pressure under which Judges of the Supreme Court are working owing to the nonappointment of a Judge to take tho place of Mr. Justice Adams, who retired last August, was given by Mr. Justice Blair at the Supreme Court "today. The impossibility of making fixtures for the New Year was mentioned by his Honour when Mr. J. S. Hanna askedif it would be possible for Mr. Justice Ostler to conclude the hearing of a part-heard matter early in February. "If you could tell, me a whole lot of things and give me an answer to all of them —if you could tell me when the next Supreme Court Judge is to be appointed—that; would help me," said his Honour. Mr. Hanna: I am afraid I am not in the confidence of the Minister of Justice, your Honour. His Honour said that Mr. Justice Ostler was very busy in Christchurch at the present time, and he would probably have to consider a number of judgments during the vacation. When the Court resumed in February one of the Judges would have to go to Christchurch. There was a possibility, however, that Mr. Justice Ostler would be in Wellington, and he might be able to take tho case. Eeferring to his diary, his Honour suggested that the matter might be set down for hearing on February 2 ■in the meantime. "I notice that the motto for that day," said his Honour smilingly, "is that you can Tun into debt, but you can only crawl out of it." The matter was adjourned.