AN OUTSPOKEN MAGISTRATE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8217, 22 August 1906, Page 7

AN OUTSPOKEN MAGISTRATE.

In the Magistrate's Uourt at Inveruargill last week, MrS. E. M'Oartby, S. M., made some very strong comments da tbe action of a woman (a wile of a defendant in a maintenance oasa), who Lad written a private letter to him. The wuraan had asked the Magistrate tu, take charge of her husband's wages, pay the cost of keeping the family, and then pay the charges in connection with some of the children, who had been committed to the industrial sonool, and she threatened to communicate with tbe Minister of Justice if M'Oaitny did not comply with her extraordinary request. Dealing with the threat to bring, bis conduct under the notice of the Minister of Justioe, Mr M'Oartby said:—'l am frequently pestered with threats of this sort. Sometimes they are made in a very veiled way in the Court, and at other times they come to me through the medium of the publio Press. Sometimes thay arrive by medium of a private letter. I wish to say that whenever the time comes—thank God, it hasn't 'come yet—when a Magistrate is supposed to be a mere puppet for persons who imagine they can bring political influence to bear in order to shape rieoision s in their favour or influence tbe oonduot of a Magistrate, then it will be time for every aelf-respeot-ing Magistrate to retire. 1 for one will pay no attention to this sort of thing. Personally, I would sooner break stones on the roads than be influenced |hy such threats, and I wish to tell these people that their threats, will have not the slightest effect on me.'