Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1895. THE LAW OF LIBEL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5010, 26 April 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1895. THE LAW OF LIBEL.

Undkh the genial influence of a bat quet a Minister is apt to give liimsel away. We learn that over the wal nuts and wine at Woodville ther was a slight indiscretion of this kini 011 the part of the Hon, John Mc Kenzie. On that occasion M Haggen pointed out to the Ministe in question that the New Zealani libel law was fifty years behind tha jf England; and yet the Hon. Job: McKenzie had no later than las session introduced a measure to pu it back still further. The Ministe )f Lands in reply did not contradic ill 1 Haggen's statement but pleadei ,hat he was not the author of tli rill. His naino had been put to i )y the Government, and lie, poo nan, had to bear all the odium o he measure. If Mr McKenzie wer lot the author of the Bill, who was .'lie only other measuro of las ession, which at all approached i or idiocy of design, was the Un lesirable Immigrants Bill, and w 11 know who was the author of tha indesirable measure. Aro wo t nferfrom Mr McKenzie's disclaimci hat the guilty author of the in umous Bill in question, ivas tli uisguided Eeeves? Is. .Mr Mc [enzie only the innocent am houghtless victim of his straight ut Socialistic Colleague ? If M ilcKenzie bo not responsible fo he Libel Bill, or for Pomahaks r for anything to which ho has pu lis name, we have done him ai njustice. There is evidently a Jonal n the Ministerial boat who ough o be thrown over, and we trust tha vhen next MrMoKenzie explain limself he will not be contented t ay, "it was not me who threw th tone, it was the other boy" butwil lame the culprit. Thero is virtuall; iu end to all Ministerial responsibi ty if the members of the Cabine ake up the position assumed b; heir colleague at Woodville. Stil ve hardly expect the Libel Bill ii luestion to crop up again during th loming session. Ministers areun lerstood to have recently enterei nto full control of the Wellingtn norning journal, and as newspape iroprietorjj tliey wont want to b loisted with their own petard. Th irm of Seddon dk Co, - not coptentec nth being finance agents,fiawmilleri ,nd tailors, are adding journalletit interprise to their extensive under akings. We fear, however, that wi nust wait for any rational amendaent of the law of libel till a more ntelligent Ministry is in 1 power, fow Zealand , some day will be .breast of other civilised comrauniies with respect to its libel law, but or the present we must be satisfied

with being, as Mr Haggen says, fifty years behind the times, and possessing a Government anxious to put us a littlo fui'thei* back.