COUNSEL BECOMES JUDGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 183, 20 August 1937, Page 4

COUNSEL BECOMES JUDGE

i— Preas Aasooiation.

Mr. Justice O'Regan's Own Cases Before Court DIFFICULTY SOLVED

By Telegrapt

AUCKLAND, Last Niglit. Two lay members of the Arbitration Court, Messrs A, L, Monteith and W, C, Primo, will fly to New Plymouth to-roorrow morning in order to hear a claim for compensation there, Tho sitting will be presided over by Mr Justice Smith, who, to enable bim to do so, has been speciaily ga^etted as an aeting-Judge of the Court of Arbitration, The necessity for this procedure has arisen from the fact that the Judge of the Court, Mr Justice U'Regan, had, before his appointment, issued a writ as eounsel in tfie compensation, case which is to be heard. This necessarily disqualificd hina from sitting in judgment on the maV.er. A similar position has (fiready arisen since Mr Justice O'Regan left his practice at the bar to preside over the Court, and it will arise again in severn! Auckland compensation claims in which his Honour was acting earlier for the claiinant. In Timaru such a difficulty was overcome by both parties agreeing to the local stipendiary magistrate presiding over the sititng, but here it is anticipated that another judge will be speciaily gazetted , to act. Early in Mr Justice Page's term as Judge of the Arbitration Court, he was faeed with a position that an appeal was being made to the Gourt against a decisiqn he had given as magistrate, He met the Jiffiaulty by stating a case for the Court of Appeal. The lay members of the Court will return to Auckland by air from New Plymouth, and, on Monday the Court will sit here to hear arguments reT garding the staudard rate of wages.