LIBERAL AND LABOUR A FEDERATION. DEFAMATORY LIBEL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 114, 13 May 1908, Page 8

LIBERAL AND LABOUR A FEDERATION.

DEFAMATORY LIBEL.

AUCKLAND WEST BRANCH. The annual meeting of the Auckland West branch of the Liberal and Labour j Federation was held in the New Church Hall, Ponsonby, last night. The meeting was well attended, and the president (Mr Darlow) occupied the chair. The committee's annual report stated that during the year various matters had been brought before Parliament, and the views oi the branch brought before the Government. Their member had kept them supplied with copies of important 1 bills before the House. The branch ex- ', pressed approval of the principles iuj volved in the tramways, licensing poll, ' food monopolies, and Monday holidays : bills. The City Council had been ap- ! proachud with a view to their providing ! baths for Ponsonby and public conveni- ! enees at the Three Lamps, and also with regard to the various phases of the prei sent tramway difficulties. Although the ! branch had not been successful on all j matters, no doubt good had been done. The report was adopted. Officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows: President, Mr. R. Darlow; vice-president, Mr. T. Millar; treasurer, Mr. A. J. Booth; secretary, Mr. W. Parkinson: committee, Messrs. Dimmock, Wade, Archer, Kneen, Becroft. MeDerniott, Trevarthen, W. P. Taylor J. White, A. Hare, Cumming, and Webb. The chairman said the committee were unanimous in their chofce of Mr. C. H. Poole, M.P., as their candidate for the next election. (Applause.) The proposal was that they should invite as many as possible to join the Election Committee. Mr. Poole, he said, was stronger in the electorate to-day than he was three years ago. It was also pro- , j posed that they should have a Ladies' 1 Committee. The chairman then called upon Mr. Poole to address the meetiug. i Mr. Poole. who was received with cheers, in a brief but vigorous speech, ! dealt with the work of the Parliament I during the past session. When ths next | session concluded he would, he said, be i in the hands of the people fighting again, not 'because of any selfish desire, but because he was anxious to serve and be useful to the people who had called him to sen-ice. (Hear, hear.) There was great justification for the existence of the Liberal Federation. At the present time there was a party in power that was making a very favourable impression throiighout the country. Strong efforts were being made to administer the affairs of the Dominion in a clean, straightforward manner. One of the most important pieces of legislation passed during the first working session of the now administration was the indeterminate sentence—the Habitual Criminals Act—and if no other measure had been placed in the Statute Book of N.Z., that! I measure alone almost repaid for the ! J trouble an dexpense. (Hear, hear.) They | j had been troubled and disturbed by runaways from Australia who were declared to be habitual criminals there; but now the law was operating here, a great many of those men hnd done the "'Pacific slope," and others WSTQ in the penitentiary, there to stay until others thought they were fit to come out. The last session was a record session—a record because of its length of time, and a record because of the democratic legislation I placed on the Statute Book—and it was a troublesome session without a doubt. He went on to refer to the various measures dealt with during the last session, including tariff reform, the land question, Pure Foods Bill, and also touched upon the question of '-nolicene."' "Fifty per cent of the problems of this country," he said, "will not be solved until we give the death-blow to the liquor tarfiic. We are going to put up a iight during the coining session for a bare majority. We cannot he democrats any longer, and allow the minority to rule the majority. The majority of the people of this Dominion have declared against the liquor traffic. They are in favour of a forward movement that will clear our gaols and give our magistrates less to d 0 .,. The work of the liberal branch, continued Mr. Poole, would be pretty arduous in the near future, and it would be necessary to keep a close watch upon affairs generally. No opportunities of presenting the claims of Auckland before the House of Representatives had Ijeen lost, and the results had been gratifying. Never had they had more Ministors circulating around the North - . It was a circulating Cabinet. The Premier had been round the North, and large votes had been made for public structures; railways were being pushed on with, and there was recognition on the part of members and the Ministry who visited this end of the Dominion *by invitation, that the Auckland province must receive more attention. "My determination," concluded Mr. Poole, "is in the direction of advocating fair play for this end of the Dominion, and I believe we will get it." A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Poole, and an Election Commit.tec consisting of the whole-of those present, was formed.

■ - ■ A. QUESTION OF JUSTIFICATION, j i NOMINAL FINE IMPOSED.' l - ■ ■ £ (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ; WELLINGTON, Tuesday. ,* Defamatory libel was the nature ot an offence for which Arthur Beeson I I came before Mr. Justice Cooper to-day ■ for sentence. Mr. Gray appeared for the L prisoner, and stated that his client was , charged with publishing a defamatory L libel against Wm. Jas. Pollock, at one time a clerk in a Government office. The , libel was alleged to be contained in a ' letter written by Beeson to Mr. Hayes, ) head of the Department in which Pollock i was employed Counsel submitted that , his client should either be admitted to probation or convicted and ordered to , come up for sentence when called upon. [ Mr. Wilford, for the prosecutor (Pol- ' lock), said that the evidence as to conduct showed what malicious acts a res- ' pectable man could do. The only point he wished to emphasise was, Did the defendant do this in the public interest or ' in malice? His Honor repeated whai he said at \ the trial, that the conduct of the prose- 1 \ cutor was of the worst possible descrip- ' L tion. There was in Beeson's mind a de- , 1 sire, mixed with the desire of ill-feeling ' against Pollock, to purify the public service. The jury found that one of the I charges of gross immorality was not ! proved. Another, however, was proved. He would fine the prisoner 20/, and ' thought that was a punishment which, ; \ while it indicated that the prisoner ha a ! committed a breach of the law in making ' his statements too wide, it also indicated ' that a man whose action resulted in the ; public good would not he punished se- ' verely because he had overstepped the mark. His Honor then raised the question of ' * costs, and said that the plea of justification had been partly proved and partly disproved. It was clear that the prisoner could not get costs unless he was acquitted entirely. The amount was eventually fixed at five guineas, and the prisoner was discharged, on Mr Gray - undertaking to pay the money.