TASK OF JUSTICES

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23315, 26 September 1945, Page 4

TASK OF JUSTICES

Moral Principles To Be Asserted Disquieting Trend In National Life “It seems pre-eminently the task of Justices to arrest and counter the disquieting symptoms in our national life. They can by their example in living help to keep the administration of justice respected. They can assert those moral principles on which secure and orderly living rests.” These words were used by Mr J. P. Steven in an address to the South Canterbury Justices’ Association at its luncheon yesterday. In pointing out how Justices could take their due place in the scheme of things where the good and full life was nurtured and developed, Mr Steven said: "It should be noted that Justices are matured and experienced persons drawn from the best sections of the community, starting off as valued and respected members of the community. Then, too, as lay administrators of justice, and as members of the community, they can feel the pulse of the community in a way that is barely possible for the professional administrators, such as judges and magistrates. They can discern trends, detect weaknesses in the judicial and community system and. both as individuals and as members of an organisation, they can make their voices heard and their views respected. “It is natural for them, with their experience,” continued Mr Steven, “to weigh matters carefully and base their conclusions on sound premises. They can have more detachment than the average person, be less liable to be swayed by catch cries,'and at liberty to keep mind and purpose steadily fixed on the fundamentals of a good and free society. “With this unique background they must see much that is disquieting in our national life, the prevalent erase for money and to get something for nothing, a lowered moral tone, a growing lack of respect by the young for their elders and parents, the breakup of the family life as they used to know it, the lower moral standards of business, a lack of seriousness and a growing emphasis on the pursuit of pleasure and also, in some quarters, a growing disrespect for the law and the administration of justice. On the other hand, they can see from the magnificent example of our fighting forces how ready and willing are a great proportion of our young ‘people to make sacrifices, even of life itself, and they may well think that a community that can produce such young men is by no means to be despaired of. A Community Need “It is the task of Justices, and to a lesser extent, all good citizens, to take a hand in the solving of the problems of the community,” said Mr Steven. “They can be at one time such as the elder statesmen of Athens, and the keepers of the national conscience.

What the community most needs is men of integrity who are not selfcentred and who are ready and willing to make some sacrifice for the common good, and Justices will readily perceive where they can do these things. I am reminded of the Army where, in the last war, as in this, the inspiration and leadership of the actual fighting forces resided in the non-commissioned officers. In saying this I do not wish to decry the officers, but the n.c.o. was a promoted ranker of the common soldiery, but yet standing over and above them by virtue of his qualities of leadership and initiative. It was they who carried the infantry on their backs. So is it with the Justices, who appear to me to stand to the rest of the civilian public in a like position as the n.c.o. to the men. It is to them that we naturally turn for guidance and leadersip when the going is hard. “When one looks over one's shoulder at the disturbing things in our civilisation, on the community level, the national and international levels, one can easily be appalled by the number and complexity of the problems, and one can hardly be blamed for feeling a little dispirited. In regard to this I will tell you a true story. There was a British Cabinet meeting in the early stages of the war and messages of disaster were streaming in. The Ministers’ faces grew longer as they faced the shipwreck of their hopes and the Empire seemed groggy and ready to take the country. Then up spoke the incomparable Churchill and his words are significant for us in our post-war difficulties: ‘I do not know how you are feeling about it, gentlemen, but I find the situation rather inspiring’,’’ Mr Steven concluded.