COMMON SENSE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21280, 25 February 1939, Page 18

COMMON SENSE

REQUIREMENT OF BENCH Ordinary common sense, rather than a profound knowledge of the law, is the prime requirement in the administration of justice from a magistrate's bench, in the opinion of Mr W. R. MvKean, S.M. "If a man possesses an ordinary amount of common sense, that is practically all he needs to sit in the Magistrate’s Court; it is not necessary to have a profound knowledge of the law,” Mr McKean told members of the Auckland Justices of the Peace Association at their first monthly luncheon. Mr McKean said that for this reason justices of the peace should not be fearful of the day when they might be called upon to relieve a magistrate. He mentioned that both in and out of the Court they might have to put up with a certain amount of unpleasantness, adding that occasionally they would find people directing offensive remarks at the Bench.

That was the sort of thing which had to be put down with a firm hand. Often such an offender would recognise his fault and apologise, and if the apology was a real one, and not merely a “sham,” the best’thing to do was to accept it. Mr McKean said much credit was due to justices for giving up a good deal of their time in the way of answering calls to the Bench at short notice.