MR JUSTICE TAUGHAN WILLIAMS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1706, 20 March 1895, Page 4

MR JUSTICE TAUGHAN WILLIAMS.

„.♦-. ... ' . SUSPICIONS OF SCANDAL. (Daily Chronicle.) Are we on the eve of a very grave scandal ? The administration of justice m England has Jrithertp been absolutely above suspicion. No sane person has brought any charges against the Judges, of the High Courts of Great Britain within the memory of man. We deeply regret to say that a shadow, threatens to fall across this unsullied prospect. Last year produced. £ " crbpsof financial inquiries Of ¥ hiost unpleasant kind, of which we will name onltftwo— the Liberator frauds and. tlife New Zealand Loan company's liquidation. In connection with the former, Jabez BalfourisA successful fugitive from justice, and Lin connection with the second Mr MundeUa t<£ signed the post of president .of thfe, Board of Trade, no doiib/t oil grotjnds creditable to his sensitiveness 6n the pointof pergonal honour. One English Judse # m Bankruptcy hasaistinguishe.d hirnseli by the keenness of his investigation otsucb matters as these, by the reldhtless per* sistence of his inquiries,' and t(he entire frankness with' *which he " has; cailM s spade a spade. Amongst btKer achieve' ments he has introduced an eiitifelj new standard of coiTduct IHtO the bre'asl of that slippery person, jfche profef sioiiri: auditor. Now the community is cud denly startled by the announcement inconspicuous m form but pregnant ir meaning, that Mr Justice Vaughar Williams has given place to, Mr Justic« Romer, There is a nebulous that the .congestipp of, t qasiss }«. thi Queen's Bench pivision is the cause o this removal! We do not knowwhenci this suggestion emanates, but we d< alone ; but Mr Justice Vaughan William: oiightnot to have.been removed, thougl all the other courts were congested t< apoplexy. Beyond this we find no 9uffi cient reason for his. removal. En re vanche there is a crop of insinuation which, whether they are true, or not contribute to' the grave scandal of whicl we have spoken. ; We shotild have preferred to wait til the last moment before drawing publi attention to.tfhat; may ,b^ ultimately; es plained as ah 6f judicikl authority But already' tl^e atmosphere is tliick wit! veiled denunciations'. The Times says :- " The Judge wh6 Exposed' the iffaivs' o the New Zealand Loan and Mtercantil Agency Company receives his conge". Ii the city and among" investors' this fac will be understood m only one way. an< ' that to ;the discredit of justice. The; will see m it either a reprqqiiorbast zea or a shield to those who may: 'm futuri be brought before the 'Court." Westminster Gazette says ':— " The Lor< Chancellor cannot too speedily remoyi the false impression that lie is . . dis satisfied with Mr Justice Vaughan Wil liams for doing' too much." /The St James Gazette says :—'• There is not i shareholder or straightforward comrner cial man m London or the qouiitry wh< will not know that this 'tvansfer'stnkei a vital blow at his interests'." More im' portant, perhaps, tbaii afayarethe sti'oni remarks of the; technical journal, th< Law Tiirve8 } which always deals with such questions m a responsible manner : — '• The unsatisfactory state oi business m the Queen's Bench Division is the pretext assigned" for this content plated change^ The true reason, however, is very different. It is the annoyance given m high quarters by the firm, fearless, and admirable manner m whip]: Mr Justice Williams dischf^ged his dutj m the New Zealand Loan and' Mercan tile Agency Company case, and the feai that he .may, m other pending^ matlers act with equal courage and' decision i" A state of things produces . these utterances verges on the most\serio'uE scandal that has attached itself to Britisl administration m this century. Whai has Mr Justice "Vaughan Williams done: The answer is easy. He strucl terror into the unscrupulous half of th( city. He has come near to depriving o: their occupation all the prospectors mining experts, underwriters, furnisherf of testimonials, " guinea-pigs;" anc ornamental directors who make a shadj living out of speculative undertakings o: which they know little and care" less Never m the history of British law has such a search-light been tumec upon the seamy sijte of" the com" mercial world and that strange entitj the "City Conscience "r never has tlie vocabulary-veil of technical humbug been so ruthlessly torn aside ; never, ir our time at least, have the interests 6: the helpless, honest, foolish, gullible public been so considered. Even tin President of the Board of Trade— th( very court of appeal, so to speak for all such inquiries as those thisjudgf has conducted— "was- treated' as if h( were an ordinary individijal. Thai is what Mr Justice Taughan Williami has done. Post hoc— whether propte) 'hoc or not we will not attempt tt say— he is transferred from his post Lord Herschell must recognise thai a heavy burden of; justification lies upon his shoulders. The Wesimmste) Gazette says : — " We do hot " doubi that m remoyirig Mr Justice Vaughan Williams from the Bankruptcy Courl the Lord Chancellor was actuated b$ entirely single-minded motives." Wt know nothing of the Lord Chancellor's motives, and we will not presume tc analyse them. ' All we say is that eithei this upright Judge must resume his good work, or the. public must' know tlu reason why. For all that we can tell the Lord Chancellor may have the besl of reasons for his action. Mr Justice Vaughan Williams may have committee some fault of etiquette or worse, thai makes his retention of his position im possible. We Only kridw liitaas a JvTdg< of great ability, of special knowledge and of magnificent fearlessiess. In poini of fact, it is the Lord ChajQfcellor, am not the. Judge m the windifig-up o companies, who is upon liis triaj.