PROCEEDINGS IN CAMERA,

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1083, 23 March 1911, Page 6

PROCEEDINGS IN CAMERA,

[To the Editor.] Sir,—A great many of your readers concede that your writings on political subjects display a knowledge and judgment which are useful to them in the formation of their opinions, but when you arrogate to yourself a knowledge of. the proper methods of administering justice superior to that of the Chief Justice you evoke on the part of all, except that part of the public who are anxious to know! tho failings of their fellows, an amused sense of the absurd.' If you could hear the. comments of tho public generally you would know that they regret that you should, in competition with a weekly local journal, minister to tho morbid desire of the part of the public to whom * 1 refer.' You refer to Star . Chamber methods. I wonder if you and the learned judge to whom you refer ever renew your acquaintance with the ' evils of .that Chamber. Secrecy was not its essential evil. Its evils were maiuly that a person was condemned on charges he had not tho. opportunity of meeting —that the witnesses were not brought before the!'accused, and so on. Who .is it that complains of the procedure adopted on the occasion you refer to. Is it the plaintiff or the defendant? Is it any person affected by the judgment. Is every arbitration where there is no washing of dirty linen in public a Star Chamber proceeding? It has been considered an advantage when cases are tried in such ; a way as not to subject witnesses to the public gaze and to the gibes and jokes at tneir expense of the public and reporters. An effort has been made to have many matters such as judgment summonses heard in camera, and many believe that this would be a great improvement. When tho matter-lias no application to any individual cases, I should like, as many would, to; discuss the question in the light of experience. At one time it was considered that hanging could not be properly done unless dono before' the eyes of the public, but it was learned thait instead of the example having the effect hoped for, it only ministered to the brutal side of that part of the public who now are eager to read of the mssfortune and downfall or wrong deeds of others, especially if these others were opposed to them in some way. There can bo no "doubt that the judge has the power exorcised by him, and it cannot be'doubted that he can be trusted to 'uso that power wisely. You and your correspondents have made suggestions of motives." Your and their ' writings may bo in a similar way assigned to motives, and I would suggest that it is better to discuss such a .question ."as that raised "by you as an'abstract'one, and, when your motives are not subject to misconstruction. —I am, etc., T. W. HISLOP. March 21, 1911.

[Mr. Hislop, we imagine, has not read our comments on this case very carefully or he would riot accuse us of attributing motives'. He'is a little unfortunate' also

in certain other references. -"Secrecy," he says, ','was not. the-.essential evil" of . Star Chamber .-.proceedings, .'and he proceeds to state the real evils. Nothing could strengthen our contention more—he merely serves to show the evils which grow out of secret courts of justice. It was because of these very evils that secret courts of justice were abolished. As to ministering to the demands of the "brutal" side of that section of the public which wishes to know what is transpiring ih : 'oui' courts of justice, probably Mr. Hislop will discover, on renewing his acquaintance with the subject, that the officials of the Star Chamber held "much the same ■ opinion as he expresses, when oii outraged British public demanded that justice should be dispensed in open Court. As.to hangings, does Mr. Hislop suggest that these take place in secret? . Hoes he not know that tile press are always present-at these, as representing the public,- and that they 'publish sufficient of the proceedings on such occasions to enable the public to know that the ends of justice have been properly served? "We are sorry, that we cannot subscribe to i Mr. Hislop's idea that the Chief Justice is infallible or above criticism; and wc z have not the least doubt that 111 insisting on such extreme secrecy as has been obi served in the present case he has committed a.serious error of judgment.' It mar be absurd of us to hold this opinion, as he states, but we have the satisfaction of knowing that we are absurd in very good company.] - . REFORM WANTED, [To' the Editor;! Sir,—The thanks of tho whole community, "OV" 1 ® to you for your efforts to effect thy publication of tho names, essential facts, and the judgment in a caso lately before the Courts. ■ If the rumours now current regarding this case are curlect, a most disquieting state of affairs nas been allowed to eventuate. We seem to have suddenly reverted to the dark ages, and the time of the Star Chamber. It is intolerable that wealth or social position or the profession of certain political opinions, or personal considerations, or indeed any qualification of any sort should be allowed to'interfere'with publicity in our Courts. This is a most serious matter, and; if, as a result of your efforts, a reform in judicial procedure is effected, you will have earned the thanks of persons of all shades of opinion.—I am, etc., VIGILANCE. ' ■Wellington, March 21, 1911. I

SECRECY AND BOMBS. [To the Editor.] Sir, This secret Court case certainly raisers more doubts than any notorious case that has been before a New Zealand Court since my arrival. I conclude it is some filthy depravity that our Chief Justicei does not think desirable to deprave the minds of youth; so why try to unearth what wo presume is corruption? Otherwise we know our Chief Justice to be a. broad-minded man, who would not hesitate m his duty to a brother. I would liko to ask: Is.it a country cousin who. is being sheltered from some depravity or some scurrilous act? The Court generally gives facts. I . can only conJ • l ' was commercial doings admittance should bo given to the press and it would not be used as a secret Court. Tho secrecy of a Russian Court finds freedom of speech in bombs.—l am etc., REPUBLIC. [The action'is one arising out of the adjustment of accounts in a trust estate.]