CROWN SOLICITORS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 September 1930, Page 7

CROWN SOLICITORS

PRIVATE PRACTICE OPPOSED. MR. W./L. MARTINS COMPLAINT. Objection to Crown solicitors being allowed to conduct cases privately was expressed by Mr- W. Lee Martin (Lab* our—Raglan) during the discussion of the Justice Departments Estimates in the House of Representatives on Friday. Mr. Martin drew particular attention to the activities of the Crown solicitor at Auckland who had recently appeared in a case at Hamilton against the Crown solicitor there. “ Mr. Martin said he considered a full* time Crown Solicitor should be appoint* ed ai; Auckland instead of a man who was allowed to carry on a private prac* tice. He had recently conducted a case in. Hamilton in opposition to the Crown Solicitor there, and tills state of affairs was hardly right. Some explanation was certainly needed.. ’ . , Mr. E. J. Howard (Labour —Christchurch East): It is ringing the changes. Mr. Martin said it certainly appeared as if that were the case, and he asked for information concerning the payments made to the Crown Prosecutor at. Auckland. He also-referred to the cost of juries and complained that miners from Huntly had been forced to attend the ccurt at Hamilton for several days, losins about 25s or 30s a day in wages. They were forced to go to Hamilton by the Crown Prosecutor there, and not allowed to return to their work in spite of the fact .that the prosecutor knew < that the cases could not come on. That gentleman was a “veritable Mussolini, and no information could foe got from h”-> He treated witnesses with contempt and did not consider their convenience at The' Minister of Justice, Hon". J. G. Cobbe, said there was nothing to stop a Crown Prosecutor taking cases privately He was paid by the Government for cases he took for the department. If his practice were confined to those cases handed over to him by the Crown it would be so small that no competent lawver would take the position. As far as lie could see, Mr. Cobbe added, it did not make any difference, if one Cr" own Prosecutor appeared- against another.. As far as the keeping of witnesses in Hamilton was concerned, it was not possible always to tell when a case could bo brought on. Cases were set downi ims hearing, but it often, happened that those at the head of a list took longer to dispose of than at first thought.