PROBATION FOR SEDITION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1248, 21 May 1914, Page 3

PROBATION FOR SEDITION.

Wellington, May 20. Edward Hunter, who had been found guilty of uttering seditious words on 14th December, came up for sentence before Mr Justice Hosking to-day. His Honour told prisoner he was liable to imprisonment for two years. In the circumstances he thought the proper punishment would be to admit accused to probation. His decision was reached on the following special considerations: That accused was not guilty of seditious libel; he / had been bound over to keep the peace for six months, and that term had not yet expired ; he had been under committal for trial since December, and he had had two trials ; he had not been one of the leaders of the strike, so that his words did not carry the same weight as theirs; his words were uttered at the close of the strike, , and when his match was thrown the powder was well nigh perished ; his words were directed more to the incitement of strikers on the West Coast than to those of Wellington, and finally the jury had strongly recommended him to mercy. Counsel had stated that prisoner was a young man, convinced that there were wrongs to be remedied, but this event might teach him the lesson that if he wished to redress wrongs he must do so by lawful means and not by inciting to violence and illegal methods. He would be admitted to probation for twelve months, a special condition being that he must neither write nor speak seditious words during the period of probation.