LAW AND LIBERTY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 577, 4 August 1909, Page 9

LAW AND LIBERTY.

j GROWTH OF EXECUTIVE AUTOGRA6Y. I _ ' STATEMENT BY BRITISH CHIEF I JUSTICE. •/••'•' "'A-statemcnt'or very great importance was f...-"- made by Lord Alterstone, ;• tlie Lord,■ Chief * f'-;V. . JuStice.-of England, , at, the Lord, Mayor of ; his :Majesty'a judges oil , ';/ . Juno' 18 last.. His .statoment .up one of; ; */. ' tHb/most serious .of modern legislative pioi // % viH^'bleinSj^and/'ineicicntallyivhas^ 7 weighty bear-, i-... ing- upon a rccCnt Act ot the Now Zealand ! ■. Legislature—the Land :and Incbme Tax As- ' . • cessment Act of 1907. ... -' : / . /, i ■■■: the purposes 01 the Act the seller of any ! i ' ;; land shall bo considered to be the owner of I ■\ it until-15 per centV of the purchase-monoy • '.!/:;/ provided ; that tho. i -.' Commissioner of .Taxes may grant exemptions from tho clause, if he "is'satisfied' with the ■: 1 - said■ agreementfor sale- has: been made in ■' 1 ; good faith' for the purpose of ovad-' '' ; i-ft';'-irig v *r : tlifi.Vpayiriehtvbf 'gjraduated'laiid tax.". Thoprovis-o adds that: , 3 . In'any- such case the decision, of .tho'. j commissioners shall, bo. final-and conclui' ,/ V'W//'-;'/rf '■/■'/".-O-vV''//'/ . ,'•••• While the Act was before Parliament as a - -Bill/objection v/astakonto. tlicimpliedpro-- !.-• hibition'of any appeal to the Courts from » ■ .the* commissioner's decision. . In an editorial !• ..... on tho- subject: on October, 16, 1907,■ Tun 1 DdsfiNiON Gaid: t. i 'The.second blot-upon the Bill, which, like t. v . ' Clause 16,, found-.many opponents, ,is that I, ... which; places -the power of-.exemption ...under.t . : tKo.'.claxise hands of ;the Commissioner ( sf-Taxes.. To tho natural. silgcestion. tbat a' S ,''' man charge#-iwith: what -.tho .Government is. j : pleased to call ' evasion'., should >: have, tl\o j "'-/• right to appeal through the usual forms or { ; : jaw;*.the/Attoriiey-GoiWal made ail .astonish-' J Uig ; reply."' . Hero- Dr. Findlay's reply -was ■ ; ' ; M 'r: ortiple. proceeded:;' If that } ;; ' mepus any thing, i.itincans that- the Govefaif 1 . m'ent, having, a certain end in,.yie\v, has re-, ! , solved to carry it-,out .by. denying tho - ulti--j ' mate -authority of law.: \Vliat kind of end. caiseiich an olio bo?,/ 'If there was.an appeal : }•- -. .to/a -judge'* tho .existing.law,might rtecup.tho appellant from- tho- tyranny which tho-. GoJ -'r-K verhrii.ent to.-, exercise 1\ ! ;' i. . •/Tho.following-extracts from Hansard (vol. ; t. ■ : 141, pp.: s§2:and 553) -will'show tho attitude ••' ..; that-the Attorney-General took ' In. my view we have gone too far in allow-'. , ■' ing/'any .escape at all. by giving .tho commis- . sioher • a discretion. .• . ' They . [the.';objector's.'Ao the clause") say;. "Let ..us liavo an ap- ••' ' . pehl •; to ':a I '-iudge';jfr6m..th'e'-;cdminissionev;'' i: --I , ■ ..think Idcnow- what'that-meaus;- anil some' other / ihonourable;. gentlemen -'::hero;,; know -something! I.' • of'-.what-appeals'! these' ■' : ;; oases: - Again again- the- court/has?; saidi'tp ; i! ;;vthWTaxaUon^Dep?rtment,::"B.iit;y()u/bavei:not ty^the;;exact;>wprds:of ;your f statute_ .'hit the bird'lll tl'.o eye.'" , . Jean/quite .underBta'iid .an., appeal ,from ! th'o ; "cominiraipncr's decision : iri almost all pother cases; but'here I " y,- , • beg''leave .to. think that the commissioner, who, \ . , we assume, ]s .an honcst ,nian,- Will excreiso his .-/ : v " r A office 'will- l ;adraiiiister : : l this -sec-. . . . . tiom fairly- and treasonably, ; and ;in . some.' ' ro : . I' . •'spects. woiild be frter. to ,do so'than a : judge -.; : ;;who is 'sitfiug 'on 'aJßenGlv-antt limited - strictly' : :Xby?-tedhnicalrrules;!Xpuld;ibo/a.ble w-ith".such a question-as this. .-'! - ' • In further, comment upon'the Attorney- ... : :'General's - attitude, Thr- Dominion ' used, those words 'on October 18, 1907: ... '|With a';cynicism'-startling ; in-its :{rankr . . - n^?Sitho' Attorney-General argusd that Kn ■ ; .'appeal toa ; Supreme Courtjudge; might -i ■•> . .■ upset : the ■ charge of; .evasion that would I 7- •untram-.7mel!ed:s.by-'law!';.':WeV;havo' 'thus 5 , reached'-a , ■ point :at which tbe permantnt authority -of the ■■'■■j-;-:■■ ;laW : be expressly /dethroned lest'.it should interfere with 'tho . carrying-out.; of- a .Govern-.' ment's momentary policy." i _ ."\Vith. -tjie-so preliminary: statements - the - tiiX rorcq-of Lord, Ayerstono's observations >Vill bo' .'. apparent.'- Ono of. thn clauses (clause 22) ■){ -tho Fmancc Bill now bofor6 the House of ;. V - '. Commons,' provides that tho Treasury, shall . . . "appoint an official to whom . alonb the tax'r: - ':■■■. payor will* bo allowedltb appeal against arbir 'v\-i.-"'/' : ' i ?-trtt^;\aiid"*^xcosSive;yijss^isitioi^tS :: 5 i -. i ;--Val-'i'csaseS-"'-'f o'r,' 'V, "vi * 'of - •fch&-^BK^^fyO()'arfc ;^; I : .lSwy>t'hc •'<iitizen" l 'wiiT: beMl.epri^ed'."of!, dll - rigfit' : V\<pf ? rtfppc^l;io.-.l^c"'C^iij^s?'artdVirill*ffchtis'Vtid.eii^ tirely at tho nioicy of'tn& Executive. " "• It-is to this official that reference is made - : in the following passage of LordlAlverstone's ' upeech, , > - . . ,"Ti/ne was when , the-judges stood be- , itwconjlthe'Crown-and ;the ./Ihat •. a'." / i'K .was - a duty -that- was' riot -liktily to 'ha i>er-~. . formed. agam m any.- part of the Empire,-' ' • , . \ because.-his, Most-Graeious-.Majesty.-was-.. V;;', th'o fir-St to: recognise■ the I ;relations,-of tho". ' / Crown to the people. - 1 "The judges mightj, however,'be called -v.. ; • upon in the future .to protect the inter- '. .; • cst-s ,of tho . subject afeairist ..Execu-' '■ ... . tive.' His Majesty's judge's were those •. ! to, whom, .wasieritrusted t-he iduty ;bf',;in.-V; . terpreting •: what Acta- .'of I'arliair.cnt,. meant. At inyrate, ho believed, it was .-ajgreat-thmg .for the subjects of tho Elll-. ' ;pire to feel-that tho .'interests of vi the. people would 1 -bo protected by an impar- : ■ :. ; tial construction being given to-'Act3 of - - Parliament'of^tho'vpast,'-and- if ; any. • .- . chatigo' were -required' iV should' bo' hv an .- 1 ' ;' ' Ait ,of;'-tho I<egisl.ituro'-.and. ; nqt- ; by- any: • •. - particular official." , :v ' . Tho matter was mldo tho subjc-ct of edi- '. -i • torial commeut by. tho London "Times" in >• its-.issue-.of.'Juno 24 Jast, -undor the: heading VDepartinental. Autocracy.". v. ■: ■ . ' ."It is not surprising," said theV"Times," , . "that_tho Lord Chief Justice has drawn latten-iV'tion/.,-]ii; guarded - but'emphatic 'terms,' -to the . . danger , arising ifrom the!. usage of -grant- / . '- tog;to. some I !branch .of .the.Executive; power _tp. v do, .'.or- forbear to :do, important '-acts,; and .'to 1 , : : j ' interfere with private. rights, without' control ■ , law.-',-To 1 ;&n r : earlier. :-;V.N /.but .not!very;remote, generation such a'practice ivojildi.ha'ye; seenieil-'dangerous;and iiideterisible. ,1, i'o.':Blackstonq, the .dead letter,-;asi lie -termed-..it, 1 - . bf-^tatiite/.ldw/appeared;7fdtile, ;tb:'seeur6/ tho 1 :'.';.v'actual ".enjoyment .' of 'the 'great.'. primary ;'righti,':"'if : -the ?l : '\/.v^cer^ih::6thei:-Mxiliiiry''righti : -of/whiCih"; : ' the j chief, was, that of. evory Englishman to 'apply .; to. : ;they*dourts'i'for',re'dreos :of /ii/juries'; -;life, j. ; '.'';; lib ; e'r ty,';;and : '-pydiperty :^Sv«r«f ; iicit t6/-b6 : '.disposecl of bj boarUs or' conimissiauei's or'.civil servants, V-but,;by:'judges rand • ;jtftiet;, 'form,r;of/;law-!./'.Only-;'recently,-;and' long-'after Blackstone's day, -l'arliament .would -liavo :re-.'eented-'strongly ■~ntteinpts':;oh'rthe-,pa'rt-; ' .of./the ,' 'officials /ofV a . SfatO/.lJepartnient./ti} /obtain;;a pisitidn/of-- ■ trol. Our Courts have done niucli of their best . . work by exercising .a strict/and 'even joalotiE ' / :; : :eiiperyision:. ; over .the action , aild 'proceedings of the Executive. They have .called officials to j ;, account,-,disregarded -the' orders. of the' superiors 1 of. 'the impugned officials, and, refused,'failing ; th'eTmosl/esplicit^termsiin';'a,. : sjatutjß;-''to allow ' - the v 6rdinary , rights/'of 'oitizeiis r - ! t6 be'-abridgec by 'tho -prerogatives 'j of public Departments /' -, ,Thoy':tiro'stin ; :r'eluctant to believe/tllat'Pa'rlia- . riieht means some' ono' to lio able to- .do . as-h( .. ■ likes.-in regard to!.other people's.liljerty or;.pro vperty.'/That:policy has'been 'wholcsonie.ifor. al : .*;; • concerned. If -o'ur .public Departments''are, ai V.a-.rille.-.to-day; in'ai'very satisfactory, condition • - thid >.is im no small' degree- owingl-to. the fac : .:. . \ "; ithatVthe snfferers 1 from, negligenco or other de , ; -. ;fault can/obtain,redress, from [anviinpartial tri bunal." "■'■■■■ .-.The' '-'Times " 'then .quotes a great man; / cases illustrative .of the -tondency ■' to pu ' - -', •.: 1 some -executive : body in: a -position -to bo abl- ,: r to .do what it likes, and concludes:— - • - ".It is right to take note of jhe 1 usual, excus< ' .for this usurpatiOn : of ' judicial' power- by execu -• • - -tive bodits. - The. action of Courts of law;, it i . ;J v - toid/ is/so uncertain j;and'-if,one .appeal to .then ' '': : is''.permitted, thcrs.musi -be' others. .. .The excus ; ißMnsufficieht./;.There ;is /no guarantee 'tha 5 - .-- V «isciit-ivd bodies.' will ;be consistent'-, in' .thei decisions:vlf,"they are,-.so/muchV'the"worse, i riay' be; for- the public. Some Department Willi indeed,"keep to one line of policy; bu j '■ that? mav -mean -that a'-certain class of , pet: •v: ' tiohers- will -have small'chance ,of success. Th teijdency. i which/• we: describe -M'j.jrowiiwt.-.": 1 pleases tho fancy of so-called strong adminii - ■ trators. It can bo recommended' t« the Heus ' of Commons by attractive allusions to tho cos , jliriek.rand/ uncertainty: :;'proceedingi There may come'a :timo .wheii'-we-shall have, -.droit administratif/' according,.-to which,- tt iTreasury, the Local, -government . Board, an :■!. one or two other .Departments will, have,powei 1 to do as they-please without"-review;or. contro and/; likethe Sovereign, will be able to do;.r . • .' V;wrong... There ' will.' be ■&. : I^."®.. e , <^) I nol ] i .« few 'persons, ' a of trouble • . ' officials'; but : sdiii€thjng vitaL and 'precious tv'j j havo been losfc or impaired, ,".Alt is -calculated that a single p&ir.-of ra : and'their progeny m three years increase > noro than 20.000 000. ;• ; -