JUDICATURE BILL

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10641, 14 July 1920, Page 6

JUDICATURE BILL

BEAD A SECOND TIME. The Hon,. B. P. Lee (Minister for Justice), in moving the second rending of the Judicature Act Amendment Bill, said that, .v— nresent, superannuation did not corns-. Uco 'until a judge had been in office vvr ten years. A judge having to retire . v reason of ill-health before he had coni'-’.— +*>- rears’ service was denied superannuation benefits. The present bill aimed to give superannuation on -special retirement before ten years' service had been completed, but not until after five years’ service. The minimum annual allowance proposed was .£-35. » . Mr T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) said that the bill hadi been brought down to meet a special case of which he knew personally. * fill B. McCallum (Wairau) said that in committee he would move to strike out the reservation that no superannuation would he uaid until after five rears' service. In his opinion, any barrister cf standing who gave up his practice to take a seat on the Bench should be fully provided for. Under the Bill as it now stood a judge becoming incapable after four years’ service would “hang 'on" for another year. On the present purchasing power of money judges were earning only .£9OO per annum (they receive JlSOO), and were the poorest paid of any judges in th.e British possessions. The Chief Justice should receive £3OOO per annum (he gets .£2OOO to-day), and a judge’s salary should be at least .£3500. The Minister, in his reply, said that there was a good deal to ho said in favour of beginning the superannuation after one year’s service in. the event of special retirement. There was no proposal to increase judges’ salaries this session.; except to exempt them from income tax.

Mr McCallum: And supposing the House does not pass that? Mr Lee said that it was desirable that these salaries should be exempted from income tax. There was statutory provision that a judge’s salary having been once fixed should not be reduced. lb fix a salary under one Act and then to take one-third of it away under another Act was diminishing the salary. Mr P. Fraser (Wellington Central); They are treated as other people. The Minister replied that it was a contract with the judges when they took office that .their salaries would not be reduced.

Mr McCollum: It is a case of renderin tr unto / Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and the judges know that. Mr Leo: Well, the matter will bo coming up later. The hill was read a second time without opposition, and set down for committal next sitting day. MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS - ACT. The Municipal Corporations Act. a consolidating measure, was introduced and passed its first and second readings. It contains some clauses which evoked discussion last night. T?ie principal provisions of the bill land comments thereon are detailed under a separate heading. NATURALISATION. The Revocation of Naturalisation Amendment Rill was introduced by the Hon. G. J. Anderson. The bill provides that when a man’s naturalisation is revoked he must surrender his letters of naturalisation. The bill was, read a second timq, and the committee etc go was made an order of the day for next sitting day. The House rose at 11.7 p.m.