THE JUDGES AND POLITICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2955, 2 November 1910, Page 66

THE JUDGES AND POLITICS.

PLAIN TALK IN PARLIAMENT. (Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, October 29. During a discussion in the House of Representatives last night Mr Miaissey complained that a number of ordered returns, including one relating to the extra payments (if any) to judges of the Supreme Court, magistrates, etc., apart from their salaries and travelling expenses, had not been supplied. The Prime Minister said that he regretted that reference was continually made to the judges in the House. He knew of nothing connected with the judges which could give rise to any assumptions of an improper nature. He thought that the judges should be kept out of the turmoil of politics. Mr Massey : That is your view. Sir Joseph Ward : Those who drag them into politics are on your side. Mr Massey: You "ought to be careful, for we could recall what happened on your own side a few years ago. Mr Massey, speaking later, said if the judges were dragged into politics it would not be the fault of members of the Opposition. He> had never spoken in disrespectful terms of any of the judges, either inside or outside the House. The fault was with the Government of the day, which was apparently inclined to drag them in. There seemed to be a tendency on the part of certain judges to mix up and interfere with the politics of the country. It was a matter for very great regret. He would say no more on the subject in the hope that the hint would be sufficient. The Prime Minister said that he was not going to have a suggestion made that the judges were being dragged into politics by the Government. As a matter of fact, the Government had done nothing of the kind. The return under consideration had been moved by a member of the Opposition. He hoped that we would not get into the, position of having it assumed that if the judges exercised their independence, and did not do what the Opposition thought that they should do they should form the subject of attack in Parliament. If that were fo it would probably react on the ■■'nstitutione of the country. Personally he had never made any allusion to a judge, either inside or outside the House. The tendency to which he had referred was coming from the Opposition.