BREEZE IN COURT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22853, 7 October 1937, Page 12

BREEZE IN COURT

COMMENT RESENTED ARBITRATION PROCEEDINGS LAY MEMBERS DISAGREE A comment by the employers' member of the Arbitration Court, Mr. W. Cecil Prime, during the examination of a witness yesterday drew a protest from Mr. A. L. Monteith, the employees' member. Mr.' Monteith was questioning a witness on evidence he had just given when Mr. Prime intervened to say "He said he had seen that, but he did not say that was all he had seen."

"You are just interrupting all the time, and 1 won't put up with it," said Mr. Monteith. "When you put to witnesses what they did not say 1 will interrupt every time," retorted Mr. Prime.

"You are just protecting people all the time, and it isn't fair," Mr. Monteith said.

"It is fair to the witness," was Mr. Prime's reply. "I was asking the witness very courteously," continued Mr. Monteith. "You can have the witness yourself later. I expect to be left alone. If you have not got the courtesy and the common sense to do that, someone will have to take you in hand. That's all about it." *

"All right, all right," said Mr Prime.

"Now. witness, never mind what has been said," said Mr. Monteith, as he addressed himself again to examining the witness.