OUR HISTORY – INELIGIBLE….PASTORAL TAKES PRECEDENCE

A disappointed Mayor of one of our biggest cities sounded off in 1925 that he had twice been nominated as a Justice of the Peace but had been kept from office by what he accusingly called the “system of political appointments”. The Minister of Justice, Sir James Parr, explained that candidates needed “a good moral and business repute, a certain amount of intelligence and education, a calm and even temperament, sound judgment and an impartiality”. His statement begged the question… which quality did he think the Mayor lacked? Until, that is, the Minister added… “his Worship the Mayor is listed as a Pastor of his church. I find that for nearly half a century it’s been the practice not to appoint a clergyman as a Justice of the Peace”.

However over time this has changed as there are Justices appointed from many different faiths today.

Researched and compiled by Ric Carlyon