J.P. CRITICISED

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 718, 18 July 1929, Page 1

J.P. CRITICISED

ADVICE TO WORKLESS VAGRANT QUESTION IN THE HOUSE (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter) PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Wed. The alleged case of a Justice of the Peace telling a man that there was any amount of work in the country and advising him to take a job at less than union rates was brought under the notice of the House today by the Leader of the Labour Party, Mr. H. E. Holland, who gave details of the case in which Mr. J. S. Brown, of Hamilton, J.P., told a young 'unemployed man, charged with vagrancy, that there was any amount of work about. The young man might not be able to return to the trade and might not get union wages, but Mr. Brown advised him to take the first job offering. Mr. Holland wanted the Minister of Justice, the Hon. T. M. Wilford, to investigate and find out if there were any truth in the report of Mr. Brown’s utterances. If there were he wanted Mr. Wilford to take steps to prevent a recurrence of such words by a J.P. or magistrate. It was absurd to say that there was plenty of work, and it was an offence under the law to tell a man to work for less than union rates. Mr. Wilford said that he had not seen the report and that it was hard to believe that a J.P. would make such a remark. He would inquire into the question. Mr. F. Langstone (Waimarino) also referred to the case and asked if it was policy to send unemployed men to prison on vagrancy charges. HAMILTON INDIGNATION “MANIFESTLY UNJUST SENTENCE” OFFERS TO HELP PRISONER (From Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON, Wednesday. Considerable indignation has been

aroused locally at the action of two local justices of the peace in sentencing a young Scotsman to a month’s imprisonment for vagrancy. The young man, who came before the court last week, told the Bench that he had sought work of any description all over the Auckland Province without success. The Bench was reported to have replied that there was plenty of work offering for those really seeking it. Since sentence was passed shoals of letters have appeared in the local papers, some correspondents offering to assist the imprisoned man. All writers consider the sentence passed was manifestly unjust.