"UNFAIR POSITION"

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 32, 8 February 1933, Page 13

"UNFAIR POSITION"

GASES SUNDER BYLAWS

' MOTORISTS*: EVIDENCE

One of the objectives of the North Island Motor Union is to make it possible for evidence- to be taken on commission from motorists charged with offences against the bylaws of towns they have visited. At yesterday afternoon's! meeting of the union the obligation on motorists to travel with their witnesses to the town,where the alleged offence was committed was warmly criticised, and it was agreed that further action to remedy the position should be taken. The secretary, Mr. W; G. W.alkley, said that in view of the fact that all representations made to the Government had been unsuccessful Mr. A. E. Ansell, M.P., had been asked to introduce a private member's Bill. Mr. C. A. L. Treadwell (Wellington) moved a remit urging that in the interests of justice machinery should be provided enabling the taking of evidence on commission. A position had arisen, he said, which made it almost impossible for justice to be done between motorists and the police in cases concerning bylaws in other places. In such cases the police had the advantage of air the-.machinery of the law, and could bring their witnesses from any part of the country. The position was unfair, and in many eases manifest-in-,, justice was being done, because motorists, in order to save expense, were; pleading guilty toY offences which they had not committed- The official objection to having evidence taken on commission was that, it would mean delay and expense, but the delay would, be negligible, and there would be no real expense to the police. The idea had worked out admirably in thousands of other eases. Mr. Treadwell strongly urged that the union, the New Zealand Law Society, and the Federation of Justices' Association, should co-oper-ate and put right what he described as an obvious injustice by a very short piece of legislation.