OBITUARY.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19164, 22 November 1927, Page 11

OBITUARY.

M R JUSTICE ALPERS. A- death occurred at Wellington Idav of his Honour Mr Justice Tt J Alpers after a long illness. v' T some time past his health has f a far f«>m e ood - At dltferent tifflM J* r JUStiCC AIPC,S WflS a SCh ° ol * .«ter a journalist, a barrister, and, £s* a remarkable carecr ' a gapreme Court Judge. jjr Justice Alpcrs was a leading member of the Christchurcu Bar when " „- a s appointed to the Supreme Sort Bench, in succession to Air Justice Hosking, who had retired, and he !nk UP his duties in - Na l )ier afc the Crewe Court sessions on .February «th 1925- The first intimation of ins .nooWment was made to him on his Sth birthday, January i!Bth, and conE«tion was received from the i*tnrnev-General, Sir l'rancis Bell, on £ ruary 6th, 1826. . Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1867 Mr Justice Alpers had had a distinguished and varied career as a teacher journalist, and barrister. He at Kelsor's Grammar fehool, Copenhagen,, and the Napier fli 2 h School, New Zealand. He was a iraW o of Canterbury College, havL obtained bis M.A. degree, with first-class honours in languages and literature, in 1887. He was assistant to the Professor of English at Can ternary College for three years. and .cted as locum tenens lor the profes■or during his absence in England. He TM n |so a master of the Boys' High School, Christchurch, for several years. Obtaining his LLffi. degree in 1904, Mr Jurtice Alpers was admitted to the Bar in the same yoar. He commenced practice in Timaru in partnership with j JJr 3. W. White, then Crown Prosecu- I tor. A few years later he came to Chriitchurch, and on January Ist, 1910, he joined the firm of Garrick, Coirlifhaw, and Co. Mr Justice illpers had also done a good of writing. He was a, ,egnlw contributor to The Press, for jnany years, and he was also an occasional contributor to "Nineteenth Center/ and After." "Fortnightly ReTJew," "Empire Review," and others. On the day on which he received intimation of his appointment to a judgeship, he received a letter from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen, stating that he had been appointed Consul for Denmark at ■icnrWohurch, with jurisdiction over the South Island. Unable to occupy both positions, Mr Alpers held the consulate for just 14 hours. ' TJie work of local bodies did not call Jfr Alpers to any great extent, but he gava his time to patriotic work and the literary world, with many very successifal visits into stagedom. His great work during the war period will be remembered by all who knew him and knew of lin, During that time he established aid conducted a monthly journal known a»'(Theßed Cross Record." This paper had a circulation of 7000 copies, and was distributed free. After three years' lotting it returned a substantial profit, wtiehwas expended in the Rannerdale Hone for soldiers. Before the close of the war, Mr Justice Alpers was elected chairman of the Citizens' Committee, formed for the erection of the Soldiers' Club, and the efforts of that tonnittee resulted in the building now Md, the final cost of it being £20,000. Early in the war Mr Justice Alpers eendueted meetings throughout Cantorlyf, and organised a concert party fetich became an excellent vaudeville tnnpa,'drawing large audiences wherW? it played. He also toured the country, making recruiting speeches and , lettering war funds, conducting, in , m til-monthly period, 40 meetings, and \«esjgiJooo from all parts of Canter. Anrithmany men who attained great tateenat the Bar, Mr Justice Alpers *U exceedingly interested in theatrical work, tadiChristchurch people will reaiffiber Hi appearances on the stage of W2fo»#»Boyal. He played in about Moiea leading parts, including Maintain "Twelfth Night," Sir Harcourt Coßrtley in "London Assurance," and »»lead,in the drama "Fool's Para- ™\ His favourite roles were in comwy, and the last-named part saw his •Wjr appearance in heavy drama. ♦iTiI 91 !, 06 carried a daughter of •■W» Mr Henry Rose, of Dunedin, Jw JiM three children, two boys and » gin, Wme Court Bench, the late Judge .T! to P. re P«e an autobiography, «M w S, anx, ? ÜB 'to complete the whole 2g before his death. News was re2%«ceived that Murray's had ao WWU the book for publication. AN APPRECIATION. (By G.T.W.) iJ 8 MWS ° f the death of 0> T ' J ' *¥», a Judge of the Supreme Court •* New Zealand, will be received by th e greatest regret and it may "•pemitted to the writer as one of his J««r friends to say a few words of one «i had won an' abiding place in the ] «ns of very many friends throughout ( I will not speak of his 1 JJm activities, but rather of the more i "jaate side pf a life which was lived \ ,0 utmost. 5

*oJ J" 388 Waß a remark able man who "J» *W» made his mark in any com*&l* wo ~ ld and y ct > withal, was •pSLh? ?, e loved life an( i a " the ffi?s" WMch U offered him <> f in " «ide of hi. ! KMffirions and generous ii« best J?n m > and tnose w ho knew to'lin ♦» i '! aUse how hard " was "•K. 7 down what to many are CoX*«"? of life. ' P*« ££? a Part from his ** ftthmt.v ablhties ' w ere always foagw £ Blun ß qualities. In his ««»'». one can see how these «nS w tlmes led him, on behalf Vei »el to Cause or some br oken ?*»»• oS n K" trea ? onßl y P erha P s n It was a •Vttd iff 6 a ' fault ' 0n the ri e ht *" a t of tL Was ln error in his judg--011 or in his m ethod **"* the Ir."V t » he was always ready ** to a d^? temeilt of the fray was **t'Wm if had been hwt and had ? l *Mta,-X«7 8 ' P robabl y after such >*EO «£ 'fl* * his fiends many ? ,0, » 'Uih m p " 8 ' you w lll B P end &J»«t5SL W , e , *» apologising for ly^JrSr and the Judge in of S g 8 * or y B *i d that one ad?"*»t was that he I>»U o f S e A rt ? f a Pology, and with 7 W ft Wh ° knew him/will read>lj or l» an could apologise more .%!?«• gracefully/ S«ehe nßv f ° r « ot the blows of the Nv ßt J e i tt 0 8 f elf hum o« allowed him- £• anc t0 note IIOW . in r e ß n^, he n^ht e * er " fcr to Wmself !!, Wlth more satisfac--3 otherß - Th ™ we ? e WnV& ent d eveloping and fi7 ?B Hat tL dness Beekin g how to E**££ U-T * ime . n °t to hurt. to hit J ," himßelf and n ever fii«l«4 for w* When Wrd hi tting h^ b t U 0 tinhi «' a ter days hj! A A remed y the defects # ?e »land\Jr there are man y in ■MWJL** 0 will remember his to them in the

time of trouble. His Pmn t^ Endowed e t h lo "Tat Were in him ' he was pune moirin smSl? 1 especially in the littlo *} • hlngs and He wJ e co u r tesies of life He g " e ß r ßid f redmea;f « «rtv? fi,l ™ gr ° at talker with a won'deracJo? »S¥ M d the Spe " 0f a in a' Jolrl f, a " ract and hold friends some mf UmS f lf and o£ his and ITIZ\T y h , e was an e^otist ; » n 'd «o or inlL V° b6en ' but not a elfish wrot P ° ™v ° ne - A mutual fricild °™° 2 . N ?/ M * kll ™ talks more about himself and thinks more of others S™ d ?°" Al Pers." So complete an answer 1S this to the possible criticism of those who did not know him as his closer friends did, that I cannot resist the temptation of repeating it here, as I could not of passing it on to its subject—to his great pleasure. As a professional man, no man could nav© played the game more fairly. He was kind to young practitioners and would help them out of their difficulties, even, perhaps, at the expense of some point in his own favour, and would certainly never take a mean advantage of their youth and inexperience. When opportunity offered, and he made many such opportunities, he would give the newer men "Junior Briefs, as we would say, and with the Briefs, every possible share and help in the cause in hand. This from a master in teaching, as the Judge was, was invaluable help to those who were privileged to work with him. As a Judge his innate courtesy and anxiety to play the part as he deemed it should be played made him very dear to practitioners who appeared before him. He knew human nature, as few men did, and was always ready to make a wise and sympathetic allowance for the frailties of the human character, and to the most hardened criminal, was, and always would have been, a just and humane Judge. _ later life brought great responsibilities and anxieties, but these only served to bring out his real character, that of a fine gentleman, one who was as good a husband and father as he was a friend.

. In the last few months of his life ho had to face the certain knowledgo . that his days were numbered, and that , he would not be able to plan, as he i could have if his life had been a little longer, the future of those who were dearest to him. He had always hoped -, for a "quick curtain," but it was not • to be; while waiting for the call he played the part with patience and genuine courage, concealing his own sufferings and showing a. cheerfulness that was supreme. Play-acting it may have been, but it was great work, and brought consolation to himself, in that he proved to himself the real courage that was in him, and to his friends in that it showed them how to take the call when it" came with genuine forgetfulness of self. It is hard to realise that so kind and strong a man has gone, and that one so eminently fitted for the part of a consoler, as for his high office, cannot still give us of those great gifts that were in him. Over the doorway of tho old classical lecture room at his college—a room in which years ago he won the approval of that fine scholar, the late F. W. Haslam —are engraved two words that always moved him, as they did all of us, 'Valete exeuntes.' And no last word could please him more than just—'Vale.' SYMPATHY OF CITY. The regret of Councillors and citizens in Christchurch at the death of Mr Justice Alpers was referred to at last night's meeting of the Christchurch City Council. The Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) said that through the death of Mr Justice Alpers Christchurch, and indeed the whole Dominion, had suffered a great loss. His had been a complex character, and from every point of view he had been a strong man. He had died in early old age, or indeed in many j respects the prime of life. Councillors carried a resolution of sympathy with the widow and family of Mr'Alpers. The Mayor, Town t Clerk, and Cr. Beanland will represent the City Council at the funeral. ASHBURTON TRIBUTE. A tribute to the patriotic work of the late Mr Justice Alpers during the war period was paid at the Ashburton Borough Council meeting last night by the Mayor, Mr R. Galbraith, who said Mr Alpers had risen to the j»E hest pinnacle of his profession, and New Zealand right throughout would mourn its loss. Out of respect to the late Mr Alpers the meeting stood m silence. At 9.30 this morning reference to the death of Mr Justice Alpers will be made by Mr Justice Adams a' a gathering of representatives of the Bench and Bar in tho Supreme Court. M* EDWIN SMITH. Mr Edwin Smith, a well-known and highly-respected resident of Christchurch, died at his residence, 22 Thackeray street, Waltham. The late Mr Smith was born in Berkshire, England, 76 years ago. Before coming to New Zealand in 1874 he was in the employ of the late Earl of Carnarvon. Settling in Christchurch Mr Smith was employed first at the Addington Workshops, and then at P. and D. Duncan s for 48 years, until the time of his death. As a member of the Christchurch Horticultural Society he top* many prizes for chrysanthemums, including the cup and silver medaL He also became interested in poultry-rais ing, and for many years won prizes at the annual show. He was one rf the first members of the Waltham School Committee, and was prominent in tne No License movement. He was a member ana trustee of the Sydenham Methodist Church for many years, ana it was always his pleasure to cut his best flowers as a floral offering for tne Sunday services. The Sydenham Church will miss a truly unselfish and untiring worker. The funeral, which took place at Linwood, was. largely attended by members and friends of the family. The deceased leaves a widow, two sons, and eight daughters M grandchildren and six great-grandchildren to mourn . their loss. • i