The Satr. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1924. THE J.P. AND THE LAW.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17346, 29 September 1924, Page 6

The Satr. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1924. THE J.P. AND THE LAW.

Not before its time, a movement is now under way having as its object the raising of the status of the Justice of the Peace. Too often the office of .T.P. is looked upon as a sinecure, entailing some respectability but no special knowledge. Political influence, of course, has played its part in making hundreds of appointments all over the country. So has the friendship or approval of the police. The result has not been satisfactory. Stipendiary magistrates, who should be receiving help in dealing with work that seems to become heavier every year, are still complaining of arduous duties, and from time to time litigants have to complain of delay. Off the Bench, the average J.P. does perform useful service in witnessing declarations, but on the Bench he has to loan very much on the whispered advice of the clerk of the court. One satisfactory point about the business is that the citizen saddled with the honour has generally sense enough to leave his prejudices and predilections at home. With the object of removing many of the obstacles that prevent proper service to the country by the unpaid branch of the judiciary, delegates from the various branches of the Justices’ Association will attend a special conference in Wellington to-morrow. The agenda paper contains many important items. In the first place, there is a proposal that the present system of appointment should he superseded in favour of a system under which the names of all nominees for the office of J.P. shall be submitted to the Justices’ Association in the district where the proposed appointee resides. There is also a rather hazy proposal to the effect that one of the tests of eligibility for the position shall be that a candidate must have performed some appreciable public service. Strict definition will he required as to what constitutes “appreciable public service,” otherwise all the old abuses will be encouraged to flourish. However, the idea behind the conference is a splendid one. The fact that the Justices of the Peace themselves arc responsible for the gathering shows clearly that they arc anxious to raise the standard. By persistent work on the same lines, the way should be paved for many needed reforms.