LEGAL CONFERENCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20097, 17 November 1939, Page 2

LEGAL CONFERENCE

ABANDONMENT FOR 1940 WISDOM DOUBTED Addressing the annual conference of the New Zealand Labourers’ Federation at the Centennial Exhibition, the Mayor of Wellington, Mr, T. C. A. Hislop. said he was glad the federation had decided to hold its conference despite the international situation. At present he was rather ashamed of the union to which he belonged—the lawyers.

Continuing, Mr. Hislop said that the New Zealand Law Society was to have held a conference next year and it was to have taken place at the exhibition. But to his astonishment, about a fortnight ago, in his capacity as a member of the “union,” he received a letter informing him that the New Zealand Lav/ Society had decided, owing to the outbreak of war, to abandon the conference. Since then he had spoken to a number of lawyers and he had not met one who approved of the decision.

A woman delegate (the only one present): You should have rank and file control.

"I am one of the rank and file of them,” replied Mi. Hislop. “and I think we are going to see if we cannot get that decision altered.” He added that he should be sorry as a lawyer to think that it was characteristic of all lawyers that, because of the war, they felt the conference should be abandoned. It seemed to him that at this time it was more necessary than at any other time to go on with conferences and so forth.