OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 110, 3 February 1920, Page 6

OBITUARY

MR. WALTER SCOTT. EEID. The death occurred at his residence, the Terrace, on Saturday night of Mi. Walter Scott Reid, late Solicitor-Geneiat. Mr. Reid, who was in his 81st year, was well known in legal .and other circles throughout the Dominion. Born at Edinburgh, where he received part of lus education, he went to Tasmania in 1802, and ten years latot was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Insiiianian Supremo Court. Ho came to New Zealand in 1885. mid after practising, as a barrister and solicitor l in Wellington for a short period was appointed Registrar of Deeds-for Southland. He resigned in 1800 and went to Hokitika where he entered into partnership with Mr. y. L. Button (subsequently Mr. Justice Button!. Tn 18G8 he wns appointed chairman of the Bonrd of Education for the County of.Westland. and in 1871 was elected |a member of the Westland .County Council. resigning a year later when he was appointed assistant law officer at Wellington,, In 1875, when the AttornejGencraf was made Chief Justice, Mr. Reid was given , the appointment ot ho-licitor-General, which was then made a pennanenfc office. In ntlditioii _to peiforming the ordinary duties of SolicitorGeneral lie prepared tho following important Government measurcs-^Miolition of the Provinces Act, 187o; Education Act, 1877; and Harbours Act, .1870. In 1870 he and the late Mr. Justice Johnston were apnointed Commissioners under the Revision of Statutes Act, and they iointlv prepared aft consolidation ot tlie then existing New Zealand Statutes including a compilation of Imperial stat- , utf" in force in New Zealand, w'-icli was published by Government in IVI, and Mso ndaDted the "Criminal Code, which did not para till 1893. In 1882 ho was a member of the Judicature Commission which prepared the present code of cm procedure in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.' Until his retirement from the Civil Service in 1 1900 lie was chairman of the respective Boards of the Public Trust Officc and the Government Fnsurance Department. He was ber of the commission hetup to con sider the advisability of New an( { becoming part of the Commonwealth of Australia, and as such he visited Au.tUa with the other commissioners Tn 1005 lin wns appointed chairman of the Lnnrt Commission. , Recognised as one of the ablest authorities on constitutional law in New Zealand, the late Mr. Reid stood very hisli in his profession, and on more than one occasion refused a scat on the Sunreme Court Bench. , For'a considerable time before his death Mr. Reid had, been in ill-health, and ho had been confined to bed for many months. He was twice married. He has left a widow (a daughter of the •late Judge Halsel, and two sons by his first marriage—Mr. Waited G. Reid. of tho Australian Motorists Company Sydney, and Mr. Edward J. Reid. Auckland district manager for the A.M.P: Society. In former years Mr. Reid took an active nart in the affairs of St. John's Presbyterian Church, and was for a number of years on the Committee of "Management. He was a great supporter of art. and by lu's dc%tli the New Zealand Acndemy of Fine Arts has lost one of its founders. His-remains are to be interred in the Bolton'Street Cemetery this morning.