Untitled

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 493, 5 April 1881, Page 2

The Australasian has the following comments upon the question of contempt of court: —" It is pretty evident that the extraordinary proceedings of the Supreme Court of NS. Wales in the contempt case affec'.ng the Evening News newspaper will have their proper eflect in sooner or later bringing about an alteration of the law, which will restrain judges from arbitrary acts of this kind in future. The general question came before tbe Assembly a few days ago, brought on by Mr Buchanan moving the second reading of a bill he had introduced to deal with the subject. This afforded the AttorneyGeneral (Mr Wisdom) an opportunity of making a statement of tho views of the Government on the matter. In his remarks Mr Wisdom drew the obvious distinction between contempts committed in the face of the court and contempts committed outside. The bill which the Government meant to frame would leave to courts the power to punish contempts committed before them, a power which is clearly essential to the orderly administration of justice. But it would " take away from the judges the power of dealing summarily with contempts committed outside t!.e face of the court and leave cases of that kind to be dealt with by the law of mi. demeanor." This seems a sufficient and a reasonable reform ; and if it is carried out the Sydney judges will have been the unintentional means of effecting a very beneficial amendment of the law."

We congratulate the New South Wales Government on being the first to have tho courage t* attempt to break up t'na most monstrous exercise of arbitrary power ever claimed by man over man.