Sir Julius Vogel's Libel Action.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 214, 11 September 1886, Page 5

Sir Julius Vogel's Libel Action.

An action for alleged libel, brought by Sir J. Vogel, against Messrs Roydhouse and another to recover damages, was heard at Wellington on 3rd insr... Mr Travera was for lha plaintiff, and Mr H. D. Bell for the defendant;.

The plaintiff claimed that, on July '0, the defendants published an article entitled "A Bad liusiness," and that defendants meant thereby that tho plaintiff, as Colonial Treasurer, had corrupted, and, with a view to deriving personal benefit therefrom, promoted tho passing by *ho House of Representatives of New Zoaland of an Act passed in ISS6, intituled District Railways Purchasing Act, 1885, and the Colonial Treasurer corruptly, and with a view to deriving personal benefit therefrom, negotiated with William Jukes Steward,-a member of the House of Re prfsentatives for the colony of New_ Zealand, then acting a 9 agent of the Waimate Railway Company, of certain debenture bonds which had been issued to the Company in payment for the Waimafce Railway, being one of the railways mentioned In the schedule to the said Act, and had afterwards completed such purchase, and had, as such Colonial Treasurer, secretly shared or agreed to share with the said Steward in certain commissions paid, or to be paid, to Steward as such agent by the said Waimate Railway Company for bis services in the passing of said Act, and in effecting the sale of debenture bonds to the plaintiff as Colonial Treasurer, In the second cause of action the defendants published an article concerning the Colonial Treasurer entitled, "Stirring Up the Mud," and that on the 17th July the defendants aleo published a woodcut having special reference to an article, snd on which said ■woodcut or print the plaintiff was represented ns occupying in relation to the matter of said bonds a disgraceful, humiliating position, and that tho defendants meant thereby that the plaintiff, as such Colonial Treasurer, wasgoilty of corrupt and improper conduct in negotiating for and in completing tho purchnse of certain debentures purchasedforhimasColonial Treasurer from William Jukes Steward, member of the House of Representatives, then acting as agent for the sale of such debentures, and that his conduct otherwise in relation to tho purchase was so corrupt, disgraceful, and improper as to bring the Government Of the colony into disgrace and contempt, and to render him (the plaintiff) unfit to con tinue to occupy the office of Colonial Treasurer of the colony ; wherefore the plaintiff claimed to recover from the defendants in respect of the first cause of action the sum of £1,500, and-in respect of the second cause of action the sum of £1,300.

The defendants in their statement of defence denied thoplaintifFs allegation?,etc , and held that the matters referred to in the articloa sot forth in tho statement of claim were matters of public interest and concern ; that the allegedlibellousstatemontcontained in tho said articles were fair comments on all matters therein referred to, and the same were publsihed Dona fide for the public benefit, without any sinister or malicious motive, and without negligence, and in honest belief of the truth thereof, and of every part thereof. The jury retired at half-past ten p.m., and after an hour's deliberation they returned with a verdict for (he defendants. Costa were allowed an the highest scale