CRIMINAL LAW CONFERENCE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28532, 11 March 1958, Page 8

CRIMINAL LAW CONFERENCE

Mr 11. R. Wild Returns From Philippines

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, March 10.

Many facets of the law, and the rights of the individual, were discussed at a recent conference on criminal law held in the Philippines. New Zealand’s representative, the Solicitor-General (Mr H. R. C. Wild, Q.C.) returned today from the conference, which was attended by 20 nations from South-east Asia and neighbouring areas.

Some of the problems considered were common to all countries, he said. Differences in laws were noted. There were marked differences between Australia and New Zealand, with their nigh standards of living and social development, as opposed to some of the Eastern countries. ‘‘One doesn’t realise how fortunate we are,” he said. The purpose of the discussions was to study and compare the provisions of the legal systems of the countries on various questions arising under criminal law and procedure, for example, the safeguards agflnst illegal and arbitrary arrests and detention without trial, the right to conditional release from custody pending trial, a speedy trial, public trial and trial in absentia, and the right to be represented by counsel. After the conference Mr Wild spent a week in Australia in discussions with senior law officers of the Crown at Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne on the conduct of the legal business of the Crown and the dispatch of court proI ceedings.