Magisterial Opinion

New Zealand Listener, Volume 24, Issue 621, 25 May 1951, Page 12

Magisterial Opinion

THE INDISCRETIONS OF A MAGISTRATE, by Basil L. Henriques; Harrap. En§lish price, 8/6.

(Reviewed by

Walter

Brookes

HE experiences of the author as chairman of an English -juvenile court, with his observations and conclusions, form the subject matter of this book. It is full of information, accounts of cases, anecdotes and keen comments on human natyre. It concludes with practical suggestions for improving welfare work, some of which-greater co-ordin-ation and integration, for instance-are similar to those stated in other books which I have reviewed here and which are referred to by Mr.. Henriques. With a book of this kind little more can be done to indicate its value than to state its scope. It is by one of the best-known British magistrates, and what he has to say about his work is obviously to be taken seriously. Still, I feel it due to the insular outlook of New Zealanders, so often referred to, to say that the author has visited New Zealand; that he highly commends some of the court practices here; and that he has very high praise indeed for the girls’ home at Burwood, near Christchurch, and for its principal, Miss Scotter, although in the ignorance of an overseas visitor he refers to it bythe British name of "approved school." Consideration of the style of the book brings to light an interesting point. Frankly, I found at first something slightly, very slightly, irritating. For instance, there was the observation (made as a point in an illustrative anecdote) that a girl defendant was "wearing a perfectly impossible hat." I could not help feeling that this was hardly suitable language for a book of this kind; and there were many other similar offences of which the author had to be convicted. I also felt that there was slightly too personal a quality about some of the anecdotes. It was not till I tread the preface (as I suppose I should have done in the first place), and learnt that much of the material was from lectures delivered in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States, that I saw the reason for the tone to which I had taken exception. The style for speaking is, of course, much more intimate and familiar than that for a book. I had not realised the difference so clearly before. The illustrative anecdote about the hat is, incidentally, one of several told to show the waywardness of the Press, Committing one of his indiscretions, the Magistrate told the defendant in the case, who was evidently known to him: "You look simply awful in that hat." And it was that remark, in some cases accompanied by caricatures of judges in wigs, that got into the papers all over the country instead of other far more important things that he had to say. Alas, how difficult it is for public men to realise, and even if they do realise to stomach the fact, that the reporters have their minds far more on pleasing their readers than those who so obligingly supply them with copy. As for the time Princess Margaret visited the

court and the one bored reporter came in and realised who was there and in 20 minutes had 17 others, photographers and all. . . It is the same everywhere.