From Backblock Court To Supreme Status

Northern Advocate, 4 October 1938, Page 11

From Backblock Court To Supreme Status

| Reminiscences of early court days in j Whangarei were related by Mr. T. H. Steadman, president of the Whangarei Solicitors’ Association, yesterday when speaking prior to the laying of the .foundation stone at the Supreme Court site.

“The first Courthouse was located in j Walton Street, serving as a lock-up and jas the registrar and. office as well,” he i said. No one stayed on the premises overnight, and he often wondered what would have happened to inebriates in the event of emergency. In 1891 the wooden building was burnt down and the brick building in Walton Street, which succeeded it, soon proved inadequate, so that a move was made to the premises in Railway Road now in use.” .■ Mr. Steadman dealt with the difficulties confronting magistrates on the northern circuit in the days of bad roads, when it took 10 hours to reach Kawakawa from Whangarei. The area to be covered by Mr. James C. Clcndon. the first S.M., was from Waimato North to Helensville.

Prior to his coming to Whangarei, Mr. Steadman said, there had been only one legal practitioner here, while Mr. J. R. Reed was practising at Kawakawa and Mr. Blomfield further north.

"Today there are more than 50 practising, and surely their work justifies the establishment of our Supreme Court.” $ Magistrate’s Pleasure “No one is more pleased than | to see t,he first stage reached towards the provision of a Supreme Court. Tire event is ai most important one, not only for the people of Whangarei, but for the whole North,” said Mr. G. N. Morris, S.M. “The benefits of cheaper and easier distribution of justice which would come with the opening of the court were outlined by the speaker. Although there'was a vast territory, covering more than 300 miles in the Northland Peninsula, the establishment of a Supreme Court had waited on the growth of sufficient population, - he' said. Thisi had at last come about and the foundation of a future amenity had been made. Benefit to People Mr. Morris cited three classes of people who would benefit by the erection of the Supreme Court. There were those, he said, who wished to recover debts of more than £3OO, and, who, at present, were obliged to> go to Auckland for this purpose. Many in the North had reduced their claims to £3OO so that they could be dealt with at the lower court owing to inability to pay the additional costs incurred in going to Auckland. The second, class was those defending actions, and the third those who were dissatisfied with a lower court ruling and desired the interpretation of a higher court. In several instances people had wished to have their cases re-heard at a Supreme Court, but the additional cost had been a deterrent to them.

A Fine Site

“You have a magnificent site for the new building,” he said. “I do not think you could find a better one in the whole of Whangarei. We will all welcome the day when we will move into our new quarters here. “This building is not for tire present only, but will be for the future as well,” concluded Mr, Morris. After Mr, Mason had officially declared the foundation stone “well and truly laid,” Mr. J. G. Barclay, M.P. for Marsden, gave a brief address. In the short period he had been in office, Mr. Mason had laid more foundation stones for courthouses than any other Minister of Justice, Mr. Barclay said.