JUSTICES OF PEACE

Southland Times, Issue 25310, 13 June 1935, Page 8

JUSTICES OF PEACE

SOUTHLAND ASSOCIATION. ANNUAL DINNER. Only the roads being impassable in some parts of the province prevented a larger attendance than sixty present at the annual dinner of the Southland Justices’ Association in the Federal last evening, when Justices ot the Peace and their wives and daughi ters spent an enjoyable evening. The president, Mr W. A. Ott, occupied the Mr" Ott extended a general welcome to the gathering, directing his remarks especially to the newly-appointed justices. , , A report of the conference of ; .he Justices of the Peace Association ffcld in Dunedin in March was presented by the chairman, who said that the "conference was successful in e.very way. The delegates were lavishly entertained, and were also shown through the medical school by Sir Lindo Ferguson. The cancer research side of the school was particularly interesting, it being evident that considerable progress had been made. In some cases it was now possible to effect a cure. Wonderful research work into hay fever, a prevalent trouble in New Zealand, had also been made. Referring to the conference, Mr Ott said there was a move, which was defeated by a large majority, to have the headquarters shifted to Wellington Southland occupied the fourth position as far as membership was concerned. This, he thought, was largely due to their registrar, Mr Jones. The finances of the association were on a good footing and the balance-sheet was satisfactory. A remit suggesting the abolition of grand juries was withdrawn, but it was decided to make inquiries in England as to the results where grand juries had been abolished. As a result of another remit application was being made for a new list of justices, the present list being out-of-date. A remit that no old age pensioner’s pension be attached when such attachment meant depriving him of his food was referred to the executive for consideration and a report. A suggestion was also put forward that some better system than that of old age pensioners going down to the Post Office to collect their pensions should be adopted.'The present system was a very cumbersome one. Another remit suggested that it was unfair that mental patients convicted of a criminal offence should be sent to the same mental hospital as those patients with no convictions. It was thought that a separate hospital should be provided, and this remit was adopted. An address, “Peoples of Europe,” was deliver’d by Mr J. R. Hanan, who spoke of his recent travels through Russia, Germany and Italy. Mr Hanan mentioned some of the social and economic changes carried out by Fascism, Communism and Hitlerism, and traced the historical development of these movements. The speaker added that these changes represented a challenge to the ideals of our democratic system. During the evening items were given by Miss M. A. Gilbert (pianoforte solo), Mrs Lindsay (song), Mr J. D. Gilmore, J.P. (recitation), and an orchestra under Mr Gordon Lindsay.