THE EDITOR, Sir:

The Honourable Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has taken the Honourable Mrs. Justice A. Haynes to task for publicly expressing her dissatisfaction with the manner in which arrangements were made for her accommodation.

It is my view that the learned judge has done a great service to her colleagues and to Jamaica. The fact is that this incident with the learned judge's accommodation is symptomatic of the indignities which have, over the decades, been heaped on the judicial system in general and our judges in particular. What are these indignities?

Some indignities

Those of which I am aware include, among other things, inadequate salaries, offices and private conveniences across the island that are in poor condition, no or little provision for secretarial assistance and inadequate research material and literature. Judges are sometimes on the telephone to Ministry of Justice officials haggling over payment for motor car repairs or a delayed travel-allowance cheque.

Our judicial officers have borne these and other indignities with stoic silence and that stiff upper lip, sometimes quietly moving to greener pastures. However, when a judge is unhappy or does not have peace of mind, it is unreasonable to expect even-handed justice. The public, therefore, has a vested interest in a properly supplied and content judiciary, for, in the words of Justice Frankfurter of the United States Supreme Court:

"The dependence of society upon an unswerved judiciary, is such a commonplace in the historyof freedom that the means by which it is maintained are too frequently taken for granted without heed to the conditions which alone make it possible."

If tyranny thrives on the silence of good men, then so too will disrespect and neglect.

Let us, therefore, applaud Justice Haynes for breaking the silence so that hopefully the conditions which make justice possible will not be taken for granted. We should encourage other senior officers in our health care and educational institutions to speak out so that the public can judge for themselves whether limited resources are being applied appropriately.

I am, etc.,

DAVID G. BATTS

Attorney-at-law

Kingston