A DISTINGUISHED JUDGE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1970, 29 January 1914, Page 4

A DISTINGUISHED JUDGE.

The great meeting held at Dunedin on Tuesday night to say farewell to Sir Joshua Williams was a fitting tribute to the character arid work of one of the most distinguished Judges that has ever occupied a scat on the New Zealand Bench.. Sir Joshua Williams has now laid down his work as a New Zealand Judge, and had he chosen to do so he would have been fully justified in retiring into private life and enjoying the rest and freedom from responsibility which he has so well earned. He has, however, .preferred to coil' timur his life's work in what will probably prove a less strenuous, though certainly not less responsible, sphere, and he is about to leave for England to take his seat on the Judicial Committee of the Pi-ivy Council. His selection for this high office may be regarded as an honour to New Zealand, but it js also a great gain to the whole Empire to secure the services in the administration of justice of one' of the ablest lawyers 'in the British Dominions. It is satisfactory to know that the long experience, sound judgment, fine sense of justice, and thorough knowledge of the law which have won for Sin Josuua Williams such a high place in the esteem of the people of New Zealand arc not to be lost to the Empire, and the fart that one who has done such splendid work among us is now to occupy a seat- on the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council will, if possible, increase our confidence in the decisions of that famous tribunal. Sir Joshua Williams's reputation as a Judge is by no means confined to New Zealand. At least one of his judgments is quoted in.one of the roost recent legal textbooks, and is referred to as a most, complete and masterly exposition of the law. But in addition to being a learned Judge,' Sir Joshua Williams's natural courtesy and unostentatious dignity have won for him universal respect both in and out of Court. The, man is «vea 'greater than the lawyer, and he has not allowed his human sympathies to be blunted by his judicial career, nor his intellectual outlook to' be limited by the four walls of his Court-room. The largely-attended farewell gathering at Dunedin, at which all classes of the. community were represented, bore witness to this fact, And it was also an impressive testimony to the high standing of our Judges in. theestimation of the community. The prompt and impartial administration of justice, without fear or favour, is of vital interest to every civilised community, and it is a matter for congratulation that the best traditions of British law are being maintained in the, overseas Dominions. This fact was referred to recently by Viscount Bnvcr,. who said that during his visit to Canada and ■Australasia it was itonrciwid

upon' him 'thai "the Judges are 'powerful and respected, and the Judicial Bench is absolutely above suspicion." He w;nt on to say that "'we have been the first nation that over showed that liberty and order could walk hand in hand," and there can be no doubt that the maimer in which British law is administered has contributed in # no small degree to this fine achievement. It is for this reason that, as Shi Robert Stout remarked at the Dunedin gathering, "the question of a Judge'' ought to be regarded as "a public question,'' and not merely the concern of the legal profession, "Justice, justice, and for ever justice" is a great human need, and this demand for justice has built up that great system of English law which is one of the noblest achievements of our race, and it has been of incalculable benefit to the nation that justice has been meted out to all with conspicuous ability and fairness, and without respect .ot persons, by a long line of distinguished jurists of whom Sin Joshua Williams is a typical representative.