ALLEGED LIBEL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 195, 26 November 1910, Page 4

ALLEGED LIBEL.

A LABOR LEADER'S CASE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington,. Yesterday. In the Supreme Court to-day, before His Honor the Chief Justice, an action was commenced, in which the claim is for £5Ol as damages and other reliei. Plaintiff was Elijah John Carey, a prominent Laborite in Wellington, and the defendant Wm. Tierrepont Black, editor and publisher of The Leader, a weekly Socialist paper published in Auckland. The pleadings showed that the plaintiff js the president of the Wellington Trades and Labor Council, secretary of the Wellington Cooks' and Waiters' Union, Wellington Grocers' Union, and N.Z. Federated Hotel and Restaurant Employees' Association. It was claimed that plaintiff had suffered < damage by the defendant falsely and maliciously printing and publishing an article in The Leader, published at Auckland on September 2 last, whereby defendant meant that plaintiff was a traitor and liar, and was unfit to occupy any position of trust, and was an imposter and unfit for any position, as office-bearer in any labor organisation. An injunction was asked to restrain defendant and his agents from further circulating, distributing, or otherwise publishing the said article or any other articles of the same nature or similar libels affecting the plaintiff and his offices. The article complained of was headed, "A Lying Labor Traitor," '•Carey Wants a Good Job," "Repudiates X.Z. Federation of Labor."

Defendant pleaded justification, fair comment and privilege. Mr. A. W. Blair, instructed by Mr. D. M. Firidlay! appeared for the plaintiff, defendant con' ducting his own case. Mr. Blair explained that the reason why an injunction was claimed was that defendant was without means, and therefore an award of damages might not be an effective remedy. ' Decision was reserved.