JURIES' VERDICTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 168, 17 July 1924, Page 15

JURIES' VERDICTS.

QUESTION OF MAJORITIES. TS CEDiiKAL CASES. (By TelecTanh. — Ppcnlnl t.i "S'nr.") WELLINGTON', Wednesday. That hardy annual the Juries Amendment Bill price again was discussed by tie Legislative Council this afternoon. The bill provides that a majority of riveE ixthsmay be accepted in criminal cases, except capital cases, and for the continuance of a trial notwithstanding that a jury may be reduced in number. In moving the serond reading of the ' Ml, tie Hon. J. MacGregor said this was tie sixth time this measure had been before the Council, but it had never - been successful in the House of Repre- ■ sentatives. The Hon. 0. Samuel again opposed . the bill. He said it was a most mischievous bill. Unanimity of juries in ! crimhuJ cases was regarded as essential to safejrnard the lives and liberties of subjects in the United States, the British •Isles (excluding Scotland), Australia, New Zealand, and Newfoundland, comprising 162,500,000 people. In the British possessions in which unanimity was not essential were those in which English-speaking people had no legislative power, or were comparatively few iin number, viz., Scotland, South Africa, and India. ! The Hon. T. W. Hislop, referring to the opinions of juries on the question, pointed out that judges did not necessarily make good legislators. It was ■ very difficult for an innocent person to escape where circumstances were against him. The present law was in favour of such an unfortunate, and before any alteration was made the necessity or desirableness of a change j should be demonstrated. It would be I unwise to alter a law that had prevailed and proved satisfactory for a thousand years, especially as it had been demonstrated that there had been a. case in which an innocent person had been con- | victed. The second reading was carried without division.