SUPREME COURT SITTINGS FOR MASTERTON.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9151, 25 July 1908, Page 5

SUPREME COURT SITTINGS FOR MASTERTON.

DEPUTATION TO THE CHIEF JUSTICE.

"BETTER LIBRARY—BETTER BUILDINGS."

A drputation representing the legal profession of Masterton waited upon his Honour the Chief Justice, at Masterton, last evening, subsequent to the closing of the Native Land Commission, relative to'the matter of holding Suprsme Court sittings at Masterton. Mr W. G. Beard said the profession were of opinion that thb volume of Supreme Court work from the district was now of su?h an amount as to warrant the holding of sittings of the Court at Masterton. Mr Beard pointed out the inconvenience and coat to the district of having to do through Wellington or Palmerston North all the business of the Court. He asked His Honour to go into the matter and if he found that the Wairarapa sent a sufficient volume of busina?s to the Court to warrant it, to recommend sessions of the Supreme Court here. His Honour replied that while he did not wish to discourage the de t juta : tion, he felt it his duty to point out that it could not be reasonably ex • pected that the Supreme Court Judges would be in favour of holding sittings in Masterton when the pres- j ent library was so inadequate. He pointed out that the same complaint ' was made by Judges in a measure in reference to Palmerston North and Wanganui where the defective libraries caused delay and inconvenience in finally disposing of case 3. It meant that if the Court sat at Masterton with the present library a lot of cases where authorities needed looking up wouli have to be postponed until the Judge returned to Wellington. Also the present Courthouse was not suitable for a Supreme Court, and when a better building was provided the authorities should be approached to have a Supreme Court session here. His Honour pointed out further that, as things were, the duties of Judges were more arduous than most people supposed, entailing frequently the sitting up till midnight and later in the reading up of modern cases with lengthy argument and judgments. With three Judges in the Wellington district no doubt they would be prepared to hold two or three sessions a year at Masterton if the improvements he mentioned were made. Mr Beaid replied that if the Court was favourable to the holding of sittings at Masterton the improved library and buildings would follow as a matter of course. His Honour said he diJ not mean to discourage the deputation in any way, and he thought if the improvements were made the Court would consider the proposition favourably. Mr Beard thanked His Honour and the deputation withdrew.