OVERWORKED JUDGES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 25 March 1912, Page 8

OVERWORKED JUDGES.

A COMPLAINT FROM THE BENCH. CBt TeleeraDh.— Special Correspondent.) Hasterton, March 24. At the sitting of the Supreme' Court on Friday Judge Ivdwards remarked that he had been working from sixteen to eighteen hours per day of lato. This remark was made a subject for comment by the "Wnirarapa Age," which stated that it was a shocking thing that Judges should be so overworked, and called upon the Government to strengthen the Bench. At the conclusion of the sitting of the Court on Saturday his Honour took occasion to refer to this comment, which he said in the circumstances was quite fair. He pointed out, however, that he did not wish it understood that he had been habitually working from 1G to 13 hours a day. There had been an accumulation of criminal work in Auckland and the second Judge whom he had expected was not available. It had been necessary for him, therefore, to work long hours to reduce the calendar there. He had to proceed to Hamilton and work long hours there, and the result had been that for tho first time since he had been on the Bench he had succeeded in thoroughly upsetting himself. His Honour remarked that tho Supreme Court Bench had been one Judge short during the past twelve months, owing to tho absence of Judge Cooper in England. Ho had no doubt that when Judge Cooper returned in April the work of Judges would be made easier. It was essential that tho Judges should be given leave of absence occasionally as the strain of the work in Court and in Chambers was enormous.