27 MAY 1938, Page 22

CHAIRMEN OF QUARTER SESSIONS [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR]

Snt,—In your "The Week in Parliament" of May t3th, you remark that "Everyone, except possibly the Justices concerned, agrees in condemning this state of affairs," i.e., the existence of lay chairmen.

As one of them I suggest that you will find us all ready to give way to a better system, when this is discovered. The debate on May 9th showed the lawyers' side. There is another. Sir S. Cripps spoke of "dear old gentlemen" whose fast seat in the Chair and general incapacity causes criticism. Many Judges of the High Court have also been criticised, although trained to the work and paid for it. So we "dear old gentle- men" are not singular in that respect, even if we are but amateurs who give our time and small abilities for nothing.

The speeches of the lawyers in that debate sounded rather like doctors saying what they thought of osteopaths. • And jibing at amateurs sounds strange in a House of Commons which puts the affairs of the most technical affairs of the State into the hands of amateurs. The Secretary of State for War and the First Lord of the Admiralty may go about collecting salutes from guards of honour, but neither is either a soldier or a sailor of any practical experience, and both have to learn as they go on. We even get amateur diplomacy, when politi- cians go to international conferences. Perhaps being in the House makes all the difference, to those who are in it.

The fact is that in all professions there is a certain amount of trades unionism and a dislike for blacklegs. That seemed the tone of the debate.

It was left to Mr. Alan Herbert to deal with the real snag in the working of our judicial system, which is the fees payable to both Court and Counsel. The rich may be able to afford them, the poor are protected up to a point, but those of moderate means are not protected at" all. It should not be that, even in a successful defence of his rights, a man can be financially ruined. I cannot see that the lawyers made any reply to that part of Mr. Herbert's speech. I am sure I speak for my brother " centenarian " amateurs, " dear " of otherwise, when I say that we will not be limpets on the rock of the law, voluntarily or involuntarily, and that had we so little sense of duty we should not have arrived at where we are. We have, at least, been cheap bargains for the State, and being cheap, we should not expect thanks. Nor does it seem that we are going to get any.—Yours truly,

T. FETHERSTONHAUGH, Chairman of Q.S. for the Co. of Cumberland. Kirk,oswald, Penn* th, Cumberland.