COMMUNIST J.P.: MINISTER REPLIES TO QUESTIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1949, Page 3

COMMUNIST J.P.: MINISTER REPLIES TO QUESTIONS

WELLINGTON, Sept. 20 (I>.A.).— Information about the appointment of “a gentleman named ..Quinn” as a Justice of the Peace was sought by ■ Mr G. W- Smith (Opposition, Hobson) j in the House of Representatives this j evening. Mr Smith asked if Mr Quinn • were in fact a Communist, if the police made the usual inquiries before his appointment as a Justice of the Peace, who nominated him, and whether the police knew he was a Communist. Mr Smith said he understood Mr Quinn was nominated by the Petone branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and was later approved by the Petorie Labour Representation Committee. ... Mr Smith .said he would like to see the appointment of Justices of the Peace left to Magistrates instead of becoming, as it was at present, a matter of political patronage. .Had Mr Quinn been recommended by the member for Petone. Mr M. Moohan (Government, Petone): No. The Minister of Justice (Mr H. G. R. Mason) said the usual routine was followed in Mr Quinn’s case. The police made inquiries and a Magistrate had been satisfied that Mr Quinn was a fit person for appointment and had been nominated by a reputable person. ... The Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland): Was not the question asked as to whether he was a Communist? , Mr Mason said any Communist would probably have been known to the police. It was unlikely they would have omitted to inquire into that matter. Mr W. A. Sheat (Opposition, Patea): He was advertised as a Communist last week. Mr Mason: I don’t know if he was a Communist when he waS appointed in 1946. He was rather young at 26 years, but he was otherwise an apparently satisfactory nominee m everyway. / , . Mr Smith: Would you have appointed him if you had known he was a Communist? Mr Mason: I think the answer to that is obvious. Communists may be excellent persons in some respects but there are some appointments in ou. judicial system for which they are not suitable. . . ~ Mr Mason, to further inquiries, said there was nothing on the file to show the nomination was supported by any Labour Representation Committee.