REGISTRAR RETIRES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23284, 1 March 1939, Page 12

REGISTRAR RETIRES

MR. A. F. BENT'S CAREER LONG SERVICE AT BLENHEIM £by telegraph—OWN correspondent] BLENHEIM, Tuesday After 43 years' servico with the Department of Justice, of which 26 had been , spent at Blenheim, in, the capacity of Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr. A. F. Bent retired to-day on superannuation. This afternoon he was, the recipient of a presentation from the staff of the department and the Police Department in Blenheim. This week he will be entertained by the Marlborough District Law Society. Air. Bent was born in Auckland and subsequently lived at Kaikoura, Westport and Timaru. He was educated, at the Westport Public School, the Timaru Main School and the Timaru High School, and joined the Justice Department at Invercargxll in 1896. In 1903 he was appointed Clerk of the Court at Riverton and was transferred to Kumara in 1905. The next year ho was sent to Rotorua, where he was the first civilian Clerk of. the Court, and was transferred to Bknheim iu 1913. During his term of office Mr. Bent served under eight magistrates, ancl from the time of his appointment in 1913 the work at the office has so increased that the staff, has risen from three to five. When retired he held no less than 16 appointments. Probably Blenheim is the only Court office in New Zealand transacting the business of so many offices. No successor has yet been appointed and in the. meantime Mr. Bent's duties are being; carried on by the deputy-Registrar,, Mr. H. J. Worthington.