English Justice the World's Fairest

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 37, 22 March 1935, Page 14

English Justice the World's Fairest

Suspects in Continental Countries’ Examined Long Before’ Trial °: : Policy Towards India Affects and Interests More Than" °) on Lee Just the Empire. ee Ss

MR. N: J HUNTER (3YA)_ I HAVE found: myself _ using: the word "law" as jf it meant:" the: same:; aS "justice " That this: is not necessarily So iS illustrated by a story: concerning Sir John Coleridge, who was a judge of the High Court in England. 'The storyjis that; on arriving in 'London by train; he called a cabby and said, ~Drive me to' the Courts ;0f Justice; The- 'cabby: replied; "The Courts 'df Justice; Sic; 2 Wlere are theyg, Whereupon' the judge said; "Whati} You a London cabby and- 'don tsknow where the Law Courts are ?" "Oh; saidithe cabby "the Lawv Courts Why, of: course I know where they : are:, I thought you: said the Courts: of: Jus- tice: I DO not think we are boasting jf We; 'say_ tbat the modern English: sy8 tem Of criminal justice is. the fairest in the world_ It may help: you to undef; stand the reports 'of criminal cases which: take place in other countries than New Zealand if I explain the essential: features in which our system difersifrom say France: and Germany: In those countries; when; a 'crimez ha been committed; an examining magis trate;: is 'entrusted with the investiga tion: He: 'calis before him aiL wit- nesses; who may be able' to: give evi; dence: with reference to it; 'including the person Who may be suspected of having committed it; He. subjects the suspected person to; a thorough; ques: tioning: about the: matter; and 'may: call such; person before him: for furthei questionings: The questions and answers are recorded; 'Then, when be has; investigated the_ case a8:farias 'pOS} sible; thie police make; an arrest, and thee accused comes before a court: for trial; when;. of "course;: the qpestiois and: answers he made: earlier are-read to tiie: jury; or the' court; and forni' part; of the case: against him_ That sort of thing is nevec done: under ithe British system: If the 'police suspect a person of having committed a crime and iintend: to: arrest him;; they must leave: him severely alone:_ They: have to build up their; case quite apart from> him, and when he. comes before the; court, whether at: the preliminaty' investigation before: a: magistrate Or;at his' trial before_ a judge and jury he is not bound- to: say a word, and if he refrains from: giving evidence, no Com: ment is to: be made on that fact: by; either judge Or counsel: In other words;; the` Crown:: undertakes to; prove its case. without assistance from the accused; and the jury are always told that, jf there is a reasonable doubtt-of guilt; the: accused should 'get:; the bene- ft of the doubt: The accused: is even safeguarded with: reference to the give ing Qf: a. confession; the principle_ be- ing that, if-the_ confession has = been ob: tained by holding out to the accused some inducement Qr promise' (such: a5,

that he will: be treated. lightly by the court) in: England, . at all. events, the confession will: be. refused .as evidence. NOTHER way in which our. systein ‘differs: from. the- Continental : sys: tem, as it’ is' called, is that we-do, no. ‘admit what we call "hearsay. evidence." ‘Witnesses. aré.allowed to give: evidence only of what they. themselves’: hav: seen, or what the: accused : has ‘himself said, or-what: has been said-in his- ~presence, and ‘are .not: allowed to. repeat what somebody’ else- said ~ who -is: not before the court: to give: ‘evidence ou oath. MR. LEICESTER WEBB (YA), [TN New: "Zealand, : -we-are, I "think, liable ‘to. ‘underestimate. the. {htéerest ~ Which thé attempts to find’a-new . constitution:for India: are arousing; only _among.the English. ‘people,’ but ° among the. people: of Hurope,. America,’.and the.Bast:. 'For: instance, .if: you’ were: ‘in France 'at the present, time, you would find that’ all: those. funny little’ handbills which the. French call’ newspapers contained. reports of the debates’ in the. House of "Commons .on: the. India: Bill. . Why? Simply‘ because, next ‘to Great Britain, France has. the largest overseas .Empire. in the world,. and, in the Frerich colonial empire’ there ,are millions -of eastern, peoples. who are watching: with profound interest: what is happening ;in India. Shortly, after the Simon Report.was issued I met’ in Paris avery interesting Frenchman : named ‘Andre Siegfried; whose » books some of you-will have read. Siegfried had just~been reading the Simon Report, and he said to me, "This:is a ' dreadful document. . You have‘no idea how much ‘it will do to Weaken French rule in-.Cochin:China." The French feel that: the great Imperial Powers should stick together in’ these matters. _ They feel that British concessions: in India are weakening their own: position in-the Bast. Similarly, ‘if. you were in’ Peiping -and. could’ read: the Chinese: newspapers. you. would ‘almost certainly come, across: rather’ garbled accounts ‘of the’ progress of the India Bill. Why? Simply bécause .° the Chinese people, like: the Indian people, are ijn search of ‘a system’ of government, : also perhaps because the problems the*two.countries have’ to overcome have many poitts. of. similarity. Then, of course;. -the Russians are ‘keenly interested in the. India ‘queStion,, be-: cause Russia’ borders on India,’and’be- _ cause they hope that some: day parts’ of. India: will join. the Soviet: Union. In‘short,. the problem is, when you con‘sider all’its implications, commercial, military, social and* political, ‘one of the most. important problems of the. post-war age. * . . PART of India is, as-you know, Tuled directly by ‘the: British and’is called: British India... The. other: part is

governéd" by. various: pritices Ww ho ‘Haye treaties with Great. Britain, , It. would not be. far wrong , to: regatd the "Drincipalities | as British protectorates.’ -Besides. this political’ division "thete*are important. racial and’ religious, divisions. But I. think the tendency ‘is,:in: popular _ discussion, to exaggerate . the .multip! iity of. races. and religions | in. India. As a "matter of: fact, the’ number of ‘Teligions jn‘ India ‘is, mot .. much © greater. than: the number ‘of. religious. sécts* in New. ‘Zealand: ‘ ‘Two-thirds: of". the* whole population -of ‘India ' are ‘Hindus. : About 70,000,000. are. Moslems, 10;000,000 are Buddhists," but’. they." are’ ‘practically ail in Burma, , and the ‘restof. thé* poptlation: are; divided | among: "varfous ytribal religions. a ya . ‘AMBULANCE TALK. Qa. OF ‘course, the’ ‘best: mauer in whieh to. learn how ‘to: cate «for the’ sick is‘ for/us' to get very: ill; rand: tox" take careful. note:of. what: sis being. ‘done-for us. In order ‘to-render«efficient-assist; anee.at home; a’ nurse must be. reliable in. carrying: out ‘instructions. ‘given .to her ‘by. the. doctor j:conscientidus, in" ‘thie, performance ‘of her, duties‘and- obseryant, that she may "notice. changes in. the! patient’ s condition and ‘thus. render’ "aCcurate reports to:the’ doctor. , She. ‘Inst; above .all,. be: loyal to :the doctor’. by saying or doing. nothing. to‘ lesséti "ile patient’s confidence’. in -him,;and, Joyal to:the patient. by: eartying: out’ "the: instructions ‘of:,the: doctor: with: trie "'regard" for the: patient's, welfare., She must exercise: "perfect. self-control and tact, and be~ resourceful « in..an: emergency. without alarming ‘the patient. :, A nurse.must be sympathetic that she’ may give real comfort; . and -eneouragénient to’ the. patient, and. ‘must; carry out her duties. cheerfully and with good téniper. NO keep. your’. ‘body: ‘aliye," ‘tio: ‘things are absolutely necessary: . Without food we would starve to" . Without air We. would’ be: « Most of. our’organs ‘exist in order to perform theduty of sénding.food:and. air toSall parts’ .of ‘the: body.. After. undergoing certain. ‘changes ‘inside*the. body,,,’ the food "and air are carried to their: yirious destinations -by. means, ‘ofthe: ‘blood. When: the’ heart is filled.’ ‘with, ‘plood.: ‘it contracts: so'that- the blood is driven; out of. the heart into the arteries. "The .arteries are elastic-like tubes wlicheatry the blood: from.: the -heart ‘to! various parts of the:body. .When the: ‘blood chas done: its work’ it. ‘returns to’ the: heart and -is: then sent’ off:again on.:another journey. At last the. arteries. ‘become. a ‘network: of extreniely’ small. tubés. finer. .than ‘the’ finest hair.’ , They. are then. called : eapillaties, ‘which: then: ‘gradually join:together and‘ become ; jlarger ( \ and -larger: until. they . -become "*: veins, | ' through: which: the blood returns to’ the’ heart..; If-the heart: ‘is. in good working order ‘it contracts, :or’ beats, about72-

times a minute. In a boy it beats a little faster, and in an infant it beats ybout 100 times a minute. In elderly the rate of the pulse is generally lower than normal. Ordinary fresh ir cohsists chiefly of two gases, soxygen, ind nitrogén, to the proportion of four parts of nitrogen to one part of oxygen. Alone, the nitrogen of the air is of no direct use to animals, but the oxygen is absolutely essential. The process of oxidation is always going on in your body. The normal rate of respiration is 17 times a minute for adults and for boys and girls it is a little quicker, about 3 20. MARGARET ‘MACPHERSON (YA). [THE Zuyder ‘Zee-they called it a sea. . but it was a, toy. sea,-a a glorified: pond-has,:a wonderful if, tragic history: Seven hundred years ago it was -* " a

ih ce not there. There was a valley, a basin. . covered with splendid forest. But one © day the North Sea broke'into Holland, drowning thousands of people, and the’ Valley becanie an inland s¢a. Soon it Was "equipped like any other sea, with ports and ships and herrings. All sorts of famous People have come from the ’ shores ‘of the "Zuyder Zee, especially ~. from, the ancient town ° of Hoorn,. Schouten, the famous éxplorer, namel Cape Horn ‘after ‘his own ‘home.‘town. He was the first traveller to round the cape and weather those stormy waters. Then there was Abel Janzoon’ Tasman. early. discoverer of New Zealand, who also came from Hoorn. Another famous sailor from ‘this tiny town "was Van romp, the fine old séa-dog wlio contemptuously: tied a broom to his

masthead as.a sign that he would siveep the Wnglish right -off. the ‘seas, ES, the Zuyder Zee has produced some fine people. But, alas, the ‘Yuyder Zee is no more:i The bottom fell: out of: the herring market, during the recent slump years, and it Was decided to drain the Zuyder Zee and turn ‘the’ basin’ into agricultural land. This was done, and they grew thousands of bushels 6f wheat: But unfortunately the bottom fell out of the wheat market. There were millions of hungry people in: the world,.but the price. of wheat had tobe kept up, so instead of making it into’ flour to feed: people. they made it -inta food for cattle. Then -oh dear, oh dear-the bottom fell out of the cattle market. ,