THE NEW MAGISTRATE

Evening Star, Issue 12398, 11 January 1905, Page 4

THE NEW MAGISTRATE

Mr H. Y. Widdowson, the newly-ap-pointed stipendiary magistrate for Dunedin, took his seat this morning, being shown in by Mr 0. C. Graham, S.M. The laige gathering of barristers and solicitors, for the purposo of welejming His Worship, included Mr F. Calvert (president of the Law Society), Mr S. Brent, Mr J. F. M. Fraser, Mr J. A. Cook, Mr A. C. Hanlon, Mr A. A. Finch, Mr F. J. Stilling, and Mr J. C. Stephens (members of the Council of the Law Society), Mr W. A. Sim, Mr J. B. CaUaii, Mr S. Solomon, Mr W. '], Moore, Mr Leslie E. Williams, Mr P. Lemon, Sir A. Bathgate, Mr J. Wilkinson, Mr 0. Payne, Mr W. Downio Stewart, Mr A. Gascoigno, Mr J. R. P. Stamper, Mr A. S. Adams, Mr A. James, Mr C. O. White, Mr T. K. Sidev, Mr C. R, Chapman, Mr J. A. HMop', Mr B. S. Irwin, Mr A. E. Irwin, Mr J. G. L. Hewitt. Mr P. Duncan, Mr J. F. Woodhouse, Mr P. Macassey, Mr W. Brugh, Mr Brown-Durie, Mr H. Webb, Mr H. Baron, Mr A. B. Barclay, Mr W. Allan, Mr A. Sinclair, Mr R. Gilldson, Mi- Donald Reid, jun., M.H.R., and Mr C E. Statham. Mr J. R. 1 Sinclair, Mr W. C. MacGregor, and Mr J. H. Hopking sent apologies. The police were represented by Sub-inspector Green and Chief-detective Herbert.

Mr Calvert said: Mr Widdowson, on the occasion of your taking your seat for the fh-st time in this court as tho newly-ap-pointed stipendiary magistrate for the district of Dunedin, 'the members of the "profession practising here have assembled to welcome you. "We desire to offer your Worship our sincere congratulations on your appointment to so honorable a position. As president of the Otago' Law Society it becomes my pleasing duty, on behalf of the profession, to extend to your Worship a hearty welcome to Dunedin. It is gratifying to us that in appointing your Worship to the position of stipendiary magistrate the Government have made the selection from tho ranks of the profession, and we trust that your own and other recent appointments will form a precedent, and that it will be recognised for the future that appointments to the magisterial Beach should be of duly qualified legal practitioners. To most of us, sir, you come as a completo stranger, but I 'trust you will very promptly lose that character. The gentleman whom you have been chosen. to succeed, the late Mr E H. Carew, presided over this Court for over twenty-two years, and was, of course, intimately known to all of us. To his ripe judgment and thorough knowledge of law he was able to add the fruits of a lengthy experience in the duties of magistrate; so, to some extent, in becoming his successor, you will doubtless feel that you are assuming a position of no little difficulty and much responsibility. Yet we assure ypu that it will be the endeavor of the members of the Bar to make your duties as pleasant as possible and to assist- you by every means in their power in the discharge of your duties. The Legislature, in mrJring. the appointment at the present time, have very kindly provided your Worship with a. batch of brand new laws, which it will be your privilege to construe for the first time. No doubt ere long you .will be called upon to say whether the bona fide- traveller is still alive, and, if' so, to see that his privileges are maintained, or else to pronounce officially that he is very much dead and to seo him decently interred. The trading community wall also doubtless desire to know whether the Shops and Offices Act has really filtered the calendar by reducing the number of days in the week. On .these and other points your Worship will, a* I have said, be privileged to give the first judicial interpretation. With, your Worship's permission, I should like to take advantage of this opportunity to draw attention to the want of proper official reports of tlie decisions of magistrates. With the extended jurisdiction now granted to magistrates and wardens, and the importance of the many matters that come before them, I am sure that reports of decisions, if available, would bo of very great use to both the Bench and Bar, and would, moreover, tend to a, uniformity in the decisions of the Courts. In conclusion, sir, I desire to Ray that it ia the hope and wish of the Bar that the cordial relation? which have always existed between the Bench and Bar in Dunedin, and which are so essential to the proper administration of justice, will continue. It will be our duty to do out best to see that they are maintained, and that the dignity of the Court is at all times preserved. I believe you will have no enure to complain of the Dunedin Bar in the®> respects. On behalf of the legal profesfion, I again extend to your Worship a hearty welcome, and trust that you may lortrr be spared to preside over this Court with honor to yourself and benefit to the community.—(Applause.) His Worship replied thus: Mr Culvert and Gentlemen, —I cannot sufficiently thank you, and I assure you I do so with no empty form of words when I sav that I thank you sincerely for the very kind and cordial welcome extended to me. I appreciate it to the fullest extent. I appreciate also the large and representative gathering of the Bar nnd the profession that has met me this morning. I can assure you that I consider it a very great honor indeed to he appointed to the Diinedin magistracy, and a very creat responsibility to" succeed such able matristrates as the late Mr Carew and Mr Graham; but at the same time I feel, knowing the hitih Tenutation of the Dunedin Bar, that I shall have the assistance of every member of the profession, and that that assistance will be" extended to me as freely as it is to all magistrates in the colony, and that with this valuable cooperation and assistance my labors here will be very materially lessened. I need hardly say that it will always be my object and aim to meet the convenience of the Bar and the public, and also to uphold the dignity of the Court in its very highest sense. In regard to other matters that you have mentioned we shall of course have to wait and see how things develop. You have my assurance that I shall always do my best. I have to repeat that I cannot too highly appreciate the verv kind welcome you have given me. I have always held a very high opinion of the Dunedin people generally, and I have a high respect for the Dunedin Bar, many of whom, I am thankful to say, I know 'personally. I shall ever look upon this welcome with the very greatest pleasure imagurable,-HAp-plause.) •■ ■ ■"•■■'.. -.•.'■ '■ Mr Widdowson then resumed bis seat-and ■ , *raMV:oix-3ratbstitt^iro