The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1932. RESTRICTING THE PRESS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1932. RESTRICTING THE PRESS.

There will be considerable division of opinion on the proposals contained in the Judicial Proceedings (Regulations of Reports) Bill introduced in the House on Wednesday. After prohibiting publication in relation to any judicial proceedings of any indecent matter or indecent, medical, surgical or physiological details, the, appearance of which would' be calculated to injure public morals, the Bill bans in connection with divorce, separation, restitution of conjugal rights or affiliation, maintenance and guardianship order applications, the publication of any particulars other than the following: Names, addresses and occupations of the parties and witnesses, and the names and descriptions of counsel; >a concise statement of charges, defences ,and counter charges in support of which evidence has been given; submissions on any point of law arising in the course of the proceedings, and the decision of the Court on it; the summing up of the judge; the finding of the jury; the judgment of the Court and judicial or magisterial observations in delivery of the judgment. The Bill, prohibits also, the publication, without consent, of a photograph, drawing, caricature or other representation of 'any person who is a, /party to or witness in any judicial proceedings. In prosecutions for breaches the burden of proving that the portrait was authorised will rest with, the defendant. Heavy penalties are prescribed for .offences against the provisions of the Bill. Certain documents are exempted. This Bill is not to apply to the printing of pleadings, transcipts of evidence or other documents connected with judicial proceedings; ■to publication of notices oi* reports issued at ifhe Court’s direction; to 'law reports or to technical publications for circulation, among the legal or the medical profession. The operation of the Indecent Publications Acts is not affected; but no person will be convicted in respect of the same offence under both Acts. Nothing in the Bill is to limit the provisions 'of any other enactment relative to the prohibition or regulation of publication of reports of judicial proceedings. The Bill goes much further than the existing law, and will prevent the publication of much information that would be of value nnu interest to readers, and in this respect will be of a retrogressive nature. At the present time most newspapers use great care in the manner in which unwholesome details are handled. It will certainly have the effect of toning down the reports of the few newspapers, whose main cause of pomilar'tv is the, result of the publication of unsavourv details of the troubles of other people, and i'i this vesneot it will have a decidedly beneficial effect.