VALEDICTORY

Grey River Argus, 30 August 1939, Page 3

VALEDICTORY

v MR RAYMOND FERNER, S.M. / At the conclusion of his final sit- • ting in the Magistrate's Court at - Greymouth yesterday, Mr Raymond t Ferner, S.M., who leaves to-day on transfer to Whangarei, was fai’ewelled by members of the legal profesr sion. ’ Mr J. W. Hannan, senior member • of the Bar present, said he wished, 3 on behalf of the legal practitioners of ' Greymouth, to express appreciation of ■ the able and dignified manner in ' which Mr Ferner had carried out his ! duties, and also for the patience he ■ had shown in face of the many fail- » ings of members of the Bar. He • spoke not only on behalf of the legal , practitioners present, but also on be- ■ half of those who were absent, including Mr C. R. McGinley and Mr A. H. Patterson, both of whom were at present inmates of the Grey Hospital. For a number of years, while practising at the Bar. he ha d been under the impression that the duties of a magistrate were not altogether onerous, that all he had to do was l‘> sit on the Bench, listen to arguments from members of the Bar, sort on', the oats from the chaff, and then deliver a learned judgment. A few years ago, however, he had held a minor judicial position as a member of the Transport Board, and very often cases came before the Board in I which the balance of facts was such that they needed to be weighed in a scale of gold-weight fineness. It was then that he had realised the onerous nature of a magistrate’s position, and he was pleased to be able to say that Mr Ferner had carried out his duties in this district without, so far as he was aware, one unpleasant incident between Bench and Bar. Some people might imagine that the duties of a magistrate in a smaller centre were less exacting than those of a magistrate in a city, but it had to be remembered that, in a mining district such as this, the magistrate had also to act as Warden, and in that capacity had many important matters to attend to, and had to .deal with many cases involving large sums of money. During the time that Mr Ferner had been stationed on the WeM. Coast, he had carried out his duties as Warden as ably as he had carried out those of Magistrate. He regretted that, while on the West-Coast, Mr Ferner had not enjoyed the best of health, and he wished to express the admiration of the Bar for the way he had carried out his duties tllroughoi|t several months in spite of ill-health. He trusted, and he believed it to be the case, that Mr Ferner was leavng them in excellent health, and tie hoped that the warmer climate of the north would enable him to continue to enjoy the best of health. In conclusion, Mr Hannan said that, on behalf of the members of the Bar, he wished Mr and Mrs Ferner and their family every success and prosperity in the future. Mr Frank Bird, Clerk ot the Court, said he greatly regretted that Mr Ferner was leaving the West Coast le thought Mr Ferner had enjoyed lus stay in this district thoroughly. He., himself, knew something of the Mhan<xarei district to which Mr Fernei was going. In his opinion, the people of that district had much the same traits of character as the people on the West Coast, the same friendliness and the same willingess to hmp one another. He joined with Mr Hannan in wishing Mr and Mrs Ferner and family every happiness and prosperity in the future. . , , Mr Ferner, in reply, said he much regretted that Mr McGinley and Mr Paterson were not present, and he hoped that, in due course, both wou.c, be fully restored to health. He wished to thank Mr Hannan for his kind remarks and good wishes. It was true that the duties of a magistrate tended to be onerous. , The extent o f the jurisdiction of a Warden was su. arising to one introduced to the position for the first time, an d the duties of Warden opened up a whole new code of laws. There were also many matters outside court work with which a magistrate was called upon to deal. He had endeavoured to deal patiently and carefully with all matters that had come before him. It was perfectly true, and was a source of great satisfaction to. him self, that there ha d been no unplea sant scenes between Bench and Bar, and he believed, too, that there were no unpleasant feelings. On the contrary their relations had been most cordial. At times he may have rather ruthlessly cut .through legal. argument, but this was because he had endeavoured to administer justice on the broad principle that tha trate’s Court was the people s court, and that they should be ? to re sort to it without being unduly tram melle d with legal procedure. He and his family would leave the West Coast with many pangs of regret They would often think of the West Coast with its warm-hearted people and its glorious scenery.

A POLICE TRIBUTE. A large gathering of members of the Greymouth Police Force yesterday afternoon met Mr Ferner and on their behalf, the Inspector, Mr 0. McLean, presented Mr Ferner with a ebony gold mounted walking-stick, and a crystal vase for Mrs Ferner. Inspector McLean expressed regret at Mr Ferner’s departure, but extended best wishes for his future. He thanked Mr Ferner for his many courtesies and kindly acts which were appreciated on all sides. Several other members of the force added their tributes and Mr Ferner suitably responded.