ALLEGED INDECENT LITERATURE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16487, 28 February 1914, Page 14

ALLEGED INDECENT LITERATURE.

BOOKSELLER BEFORE THE COURT, e • CASE ADJOURNED FOR A MONTH. At tho Magistrate’s Court yesterday, befq-ro Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., - diaries M’Carthy, for whom Mr Cassidy appeared, pleaded not guilty to a charge of having ori February Ll-, sold an indecent document,, to wit, a book entitled. . “ Tho Adventures _of John Johns.” Detective Thomas Gibson gave evidence that on February 11 ho called at defendant’s bookseller’s shop, near the railway station, and was sold, the book referred to in the prosecution. Tho book was of ail indecent character.

To Mr Cassidy: The defendant had never been warned about the sale of the book. Witness had no personal objection to tho book. He was only following instructions. , E. .1, Bell, librarian at the Christchurch Public Library, was placed on tho witness stand. Mr Cassidy asked if the witness was to give his opinion of the book. Chief Detective Bishop said that wa3 the line of evidence. ,

Air Cassidy said he must object to such evidence. The witness’s opinion was quite irrelevant. In tho previous prosecutions there there was no such evidence given. It was entirely for the Court to decide whether tho book was indecent or not. • The Magistrate had no right to take other people’s opinion on tho matter. Ho could call twenty witnesses who did not consider the book indecent, but their evidence would bo just ns irrelevant. Ho asked if authority had been given for this prosecution by tho SolicitorGeneral under Section 12.

Chief Detective Bishop said thero was authority. ' Mr Cassidy: Let me see it. This,isn’t a. proper authority: A. L. Herdman doesn’t sign this as the Solicitor-Gen-eral. This is merely a departmental instruction, and does not comply with tho latest legislation on this subject. Continuing, Mr Cassidy suggested that in a case such as this the police should have given a warning beforo .bringing a case. It was necessary that there should he safeguards surrounding such prosecutions, for thero were passages in various classical works which migiit bring the booksellers into danger of proceedings like this. Tho case was adjourned til} March 30 to enablo the police to get proper authority to prosecute.