SEDITION CHARGES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2960, 26 December 1916, Page 6

SEDITION CHARGES

CONVICTIONS ENTERED

fbASES OF FRASER AND BRINDLE

TWELVE MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT

Judgment in the sedition charges against Peter Fraser and Thomas Bnndle was given on Saturday morning. Each man was convicted and sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment. ; The Magistrate (Mr. W. G. Riddell)

said the proceedings were taken under the AVar Regulations, and it was urged by the Crown _ Solicitor, that tho speeches camo within Sub-Clause (a) as exciting disaffection against the Government of Now Zealand; . Sub-Clause (e) as interfering with the * recruiting of His Ma-

i jesty's Forces and the effective conduct of His Majesty's military operations; - Sub-Clause (j) as discouraging the prosecution of the present war to a victorious conclusion; Sub-Clause (k) as encouraging opposition to the enforcement and administration) of the laws in force

in New Zealand 'relative to com-

pulsory military service' during that war; and, Sub-Clause (n) as exiting disloyalty in respect of the'present war.

'The extracts from the speeches that defendants made on December 10" continued His Worship, "are set out in the informations. However, it is necessary to read the whole of the speeches before coming to a conclusion upon tho words set out in tho informations. I have gone very carefully through the speeches, and it seems to me that if these were ordinary times ... no great notice would have been taken of them. But these are not ordinary times. They are extraordinary times, lhe nation is at war, and tho Government has decided on a certain line of conduct, and laid dbwn regulations, and passed tho Military Service Act in order to carry out certain promises to assist the Mother Country in this war in whicn the British Empire is ongan--fished relations hi.ve been' p.ut I

No doubt there are a great many persons who disapprove of the war. V ery probably the whole of us disapprove'of the war. But different person disapprove in different ways. The defendants do not only' oppose the war, but reckon peace should be discussed. . . . Their real objeot iii making the speechos was to secure the repeal. ii i Mi | itai T Service Act. "There is a good deal of matter in the speeches which is common knowledge. iou cannot object to that. But otner remarks made by the defendants, in my opinion, clearly have a seditious tendency, and! are contrary to the regulations. It cannot be said'that the defendants wero unaware of the regulations. They have referred to. them, and one must take it that they were thoroughly well aware of them. They saia they belonged to the Social Democratic Party.' One does not object to that, to it seems to me that both are men of some ability, and that it would have been possible to attain their endwith language not quite so inflammatory. ' .

"Thero is no doubt there has been a breach of the regulations committed, although the defendants appear to have lieldl quite honestly these > opinions. But, there again, the jaw has been framed by tho Government of,.the day. I have also taken an opportunity to read the speeches of other mem-, bers of the Social Democratic Party, and'they are all in the same strain. The defendants must ho convicted. Each will be sentenced to one year's imprisonment."

. Fraser wavec} adieu to friends in the auditorium, and the two left the dock.