CONFERENCE WELCOMES

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28260, 24 April 1957, Page 7

CONFERENCE WELCOMES

350 Lawyers Attend

The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, M.P.) yesterday welcomed members of the legal profession to the triennial Dominion legal conference in the Repertory Theatre. His audience of about 350 lawyers and their wives included seven delegates from Australia.

“If we look around the world tody.’ w ® find people decrying British justice and making comparisons with other countries.” said Mr Macfarlane. “They appear to be upholding the very negation of the principles of British justice and freedom. . . . If they were to live in those countries they would very speedily change their minds as tc whether they preferred British justice or the kind that persists in parts of the world,” he said The chairman of the Canterbury District Law Society (Mr R A. Young) welcomed visitors Among these were the Chief Justice (Sir Harold Barrowclough), the Attorney-General (Mr J. R. Marshall), Judges of the Supreme Court. Mr Justice Hutchison, Mr Justice Adams, Mr Justice McGregor, Mr Justice T. A. Gresson and Mr Justice McCarthy, Judge Archer of the Land Valuation Court. Judge Dalglish of the Compensation Court, Judge Pritchard and Judge Juene of the Maori Land Court. Sir Arthur Fair, Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M.. and Mr F. F. Reid. S.M. On behalf of the visitors, Mr T. P. Cleary, president of the

New Zealand Law Society, thanked Mr Macfarlane and Mr Young for their welcomes. Mr Cleary was chairman of the conference for the three addresses yesterday. Today, three further papers will be presented, followed by an open forum, and later there will be a ball at the Addington trotting course members tea kiosk. The conference will end on Friday with golf, tennis and bowls tournaments. Australian Delegates The Australian lawyers were welcomed by the AttorneyGeneral <Mr J. R. Marshall) as “our brothers in law” and by the president of the Canterbury District Law Society (Mr R. A Young) as alleged horse buyers. Apparently referring to the welcome function on Monday, and “the freedom of the racecourse at Riccarton” enjoyed by some visitors, Mr Young said: “It has been reported that the Australian delegation has not come here, as was suspected last evening, just for fun.” But they intended to purchase a horse, he said. And if they '’ould buy it they could change its domicile to one of their choice, to have an Australian horse with a chance of winning a Melbourne Cup. Mr G. L. Small, who is vice-

president of the Incorporated Law Institute of New South Wales, thanked the conference for the welcome and replied: “We are here to look and to learn. . . . We hope that we may give you something from our knowledge, and I know that we will take much away.”