THE SECRET CASE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1080, 20 March 1911, Page 6

THE SECRET CASE.

AN ELUSIVE DOCUMENT, / REGISTRAR INTERVIEWED. PRESS AND OTHER OPINIONS., A Dominion' reporter went to the public offico of ,tho .Supremo Court ;on Saturday morning and asked to bo allowed to see the order forbidding publication of all matter relating to a case which, though not yet named in print, is a subject of discussion in dillerent parts of Now Zealand, and especially in vV.ellifigtou. In answer to this application, tho reporter was relerred to tlie Kegistrar of tfle'Court (Air. 1). Ci. A. CoOper). The request, when made to that omce;', was promptly, but. courteously,,. negauved, and Mr; Cooper also said, in reply to a iurther question, mat iie could not supply a copy of . tho order. "ine reporter expressed surprise, and ventured tho opinion that when an order was made binding-him and tnose in charge of tne paper, it would be no more than tair tuat they should bo allowed to. obtain a copy of it,- so that they could Scrutinise us terms and tile it lor future reference. The registrar replied that no order had been formally drawn up. Somewhat taken aback by triis 'statement, tho pressman asked whether the order did hot exist in tsoine sliapo in which he could be enabled to,see it.' "I cannot show you any of the papers in the case," said Air.- Cooper. The reporter said The Dominion really wanted to have a copy of tho order, and he had been instructed to make a formal application for it. 'Eventually, tho registrar consented to mention the matter fo the Chief Justice. . . ■ ' 'Returning later,' the pr'eslvan was told by .Mr.'Cooper that he. had not' yet seen the Chiif Justice about the ohler. He added: "It's no 'good. Yon can't.'get it. The order has not been formally drawn up:" "But can't you get it formally drawn up?" asked the reporter. "We really want to have a' copy." Mr. Cooper then explained that, in. accordance with the usual practice, it was left to counsel for one of- the parties to draw up the order which had:'been granted arid bring it to the Court for sanction, if and when ■ such counsel thought fit to do so. He advised the reporter to approach counsel , acting in'the case, if lie still wished for..a copy .of the order. As the hour when lawyers' offices close on Saturdays was -approaching,, che pressman was unable to prosecute his inquiries further that day.