CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 21 March 1914, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

JUDGES AT VARIANCE. It is about time that the New Zealand Judges came to some agri -nu-nt in regard to the rights of constables m dealing with suspected lier.sons. Last mouth, for instance, Mr. Justice 'Cooper reprimanded a policeman for not cautioning a suspect before taking a statement from him. At Napier last week, counsel for an accused, person complained to Judge Edwards that a constable had acted improperly iu questioning his client prior to arrest. What was the Judge's comment? The Judge said' the officer had done his' proper duty by. questioning prisoner as to whether or not he committed the alleged offence, and he added that many a man could satisfy the police by his answer whether he'was guilty or not. Here we have two absolutely contrary directions to the nolicc. We prefer that of Mr. Justice Edwards. It is marked by reasonableness and commonsense. As we have said previously, an innocent man has nothing to fear'from a categorical examination by the guardians of the law. Why should our judges be so solicitous 'for tho protection of those who have got everything to hide bv refusing to commit 'themselves? The police are faced with a sufficiency of obstacles. There is no reason why. the judiciary should insist on erecting artificial hurdles on the track..—Ohristchureh " Star." NEW ZEALAND'S WEALTH.

Says the Southland '■' News":—As a matter of fact, New Zealand' is amongst the most progressive of the world's countries, the wealth per head is much in excess of that of any other country, the savings hank deposits show a remarkable increase every year, and the position of the workers is steadily improving. All this evidences thrift, and proves that the system our visitor has criticised is an unqualified success. Private enterprise is thousands of years old, and has been by no means an unmixed blessing. It 'has created all the evils that State enterprise is intended to remedy. It has ensured something like an equality of opportunity, and, while freedom of action is in some degree checked, the benefits are indisputable so far as the whole nation is concerned. The whole policy of ihe Liberal Party in >few Zealand has been designed to increase "the output of the individual worker and the wealth developed hy the primary producer,'' and it has succeeded. Earl Orcy's opinions were perhaps given through a fear of socialism; hut there is a wid.> difference between Socialism as it is ptrcriilly understood in this country today ,and that State enterprise whi-'i conserves the hgithnate interests of the ir.f sses.