AT FOURSCORE YEARS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 15 December 1925, Page 12

AT FOURSCORE YEARS

CHIEF JUSTICE LEAVES BENCH. By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, December 1-1. Sir Robert Stout was on the Supreme Court bench for the last time this morning prior to his retirement from the Chief Justiceship. In tbe presence of a very large gathering of the legal profession, Mr Johnson, president of the Law Society, voiced the regret of the bench and bar at his Honor’s retirement. He commented on Sir Robert Stout's long and honournb’e career, and the manner in which he maintained tbe dignity of his high office. Sir Robert, in the course of his reply, said he commenced working at the age of 12, and had been 70 years at work. The basis of all civilisation was to see that justice was done. Today they were faced with a number of great problems—the growth in many countries of poor people intellectually. They found in prisons that nearly one-third of the prisoners were mentally defective. He did not pretend to say he knew a remedy. They must keep their eyes open and fight lor the preservation of justice. There were some prisoners who could not do right and he believed that the great hope of the world lay in justice. The world could not be saved by the sword.