THE BAUME CASE

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 42, 13 November 1926, Page 10

THE BAUME CASE

ALLEGED PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT A MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY OFFERED IF CHARGES FORMULATED If affidavits arq produced and the charges relating to the preferential treatment allegedly accorded Sidney Erne Baume by the prison authorities are formulated, the Government is prepared to appoint a magisterial commission of inquiry immediately.—This undertaking was given by the Minister of Justice (Hon. F. J. Rolleston) yesterday in reply to the Rev. Howard Elliott’s statement which appeared in Thursday’s ’’Dominion.” Mr. Elliott’s reply is that he will formulate charges provided a full public inquiry into all the allegations is held by an independent board. The statement of the Minister of Justice was as follows:—

“Hhe object of the Legislature in setting up a Prisons Board to adjudicate on the release and reformation of prisoners was to" remove such' matters entirely from political or other influence and to have an independent board which could bring to bear skilled knowledge on the legal, criminal, medical, and human aspects of each case. . The fact that the decisions of this board, which has functioned for over 15 years, and dealt with several thousands, of cases, have never before been questioned should be accepted as sufficient guarantee of the nature of its work. The board- is - composed- of citizens- of - the highest repute, arid presided over t by one of the senior Judges of the Supreme Court, and the Government does not propose, because some people may think that the board erred in the' Baume case, to set up a commission to inquire into its actions. “There is not, however, the slightest objection to a public inquiry into the allegation of preferential treatment to Baume by the prisons authorities. .If Mr. Elliott will produce his affidavits and formulate his charges in regard-to this' preferential treatment a Magisterial commission of inquiry will be set up at once.” FULL INQUIRY WANTED ' MR. ELLIOTT’S REPLY. Interviewed by a Dominion reporter late last night, the Rev, Howard Elliott made the following statement in reply to that issued by the Minister of Justice:— “The Government could not well; avoid a reply to the challenge to hold; an inquiry; but it must not be a partial inquiry restricted to the treatment accorded Baume in prison. It must include inquiry? into the events which led up: to, and the reasons for, the release of Baume. » , “Further, the Government, in defence of its honour and the pledged word of the Prime Minister, is bound to allow an open inquiry into the appointment of' the present Controller-General' of; Prisons. - ■ . “If the Government is. prepared to have a full public inquiry into all the allegations, I am prepared, in the inter-: ests of justice and the administration of justice, to formulate charges but the board of inquiry must be composed of gentlemen independent of the, Government, and of the Public Service Commissioner.”