Cabinet document 'in mail-box’

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33540, 22 May 1974, Page 14

Cabinet document 'in mail-box’

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 21. Dr O. R. W. Sutherland, spokesman on justice for the Auckland Committee on Racism and Discrimination, said the secret Cabinet paper that led to a search of his home at the week-end was sent to him anonymously through the mail.

He told a New Lynn Rotary Club meeting; tonight that he had no hand in leaking the document, “if indeed it was leaked.” "I had no knowledge of its} existence before its anonymous arrival one day in my mail-box. There was nothing, on it to say it was con-1 fidential, and it was not; signed." he said. Dr Sutherland said he had 1 never refused to return the

, paper. “To the contrary, my lawyer told the police on Saturday that it would be re--1 turned by him as soon as possible. As it was in a safe deposit box it couldn’t be removed till Monday, when it was handed over,” he said. The Minister of Justice (Dr Finlay) said earlier in the ■ week that the document dealt J with the proposed dutv soli- ■ icitor scheme. Dr Sutherland said: “Over I the last two years I have I i repeatedly made representa- ; tion for a duty solicitor

scheme, and stressed the need for all children to be represented at court by counsel. "In February, 1973, I was one of four people invited by Dr Finlay to make submissions on a proposed duty solicitor scheme. We sent 30

pages of detailed proposals, and were the only non-legal group in New Zealand to be invited. “Since then there has been nothing but long-drawn-out negotiations with law societies about more and i more money.” he said. “Meanwhile. we’ve been !acutelv aware that while this was going on an average of three children a week have been remanded to Mt Eden Prison alone, almost all of them unrepresented by counsel, and most of them Maoris or non-Maori Polynesians. “I want to put into pers-' pective what we did when; the document arrived,” said Dr Sutherland. "We hoped we could persuade Dr Finlay to make the scheme the best possible, especially in relation to the child offender. We are still hopeful we can do so.”!