The Law or Libel.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1463, 24 September 1885, Page 4

The Law or Libel.

At Clerken well, a tradesman, carrying on business m the vicinity of the court, made an application to Mr Baralow for a summons for malicious libel under the following circumstances : About a month ago he was convicted under the Weiehts and Measures Act,. and^fined. A tradesman carrying on '.^^f^^iness opposite had recently cppt^&jtroihH'Ha newspnper report, which \yas;c6tr«c^;&!n account of the case, and printed it 'upon circulars, thousands of which .lie had caused to he circulated to persons freajienting the street. Applicant's full . nanie... appeared on the circular, which j}aii.!.cau~sed him considerable annoyance iii/his business It seemed to him that, besides being spiteful towards him, the neighbouring tradesman wap j talons, for applicant had obtained some popularity by treating poor children to an outing. Mr Bnrstow said he should think there was malice The circular was most harmful, and was not m any sense justifiable. No public body, nor the police, had any riglit to publish the convictions of offenders m such way, although he believed that m France an offender was made to pay the expense of exhibiting a notice of his conviction conspicuously m his own shop ; but there was, fort unit fly, as he thought, no system of the kind m England. The applicant added that his opponent had hired a horse and cart and men to distribute the bills. His Worship was probably aware that the judges had receutly decided that the railway companies were not entitled to publish the addresses of offenders against their bye-laws. Mr Bars tow said that it was a question whether the bill produced was a proper ground for criminal proceedings Ho consulted with the chief clerk (Mr Cavendishj, aud then advisod the applicant to take the oase to a county court, and sue for damages.