Sowry v. Haggen.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5970, 24 October 1890, Page 3

Sowry v. Haggen.

THE JUDGE'S DECISION.

|PISB PBKSS ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington, This day.

In Banco to-day Mr Justice Edwards delivered judgment on the motion to have E. A. Haggen, of tho Woodville Examiner, committed for contempt of Court in publishing evidence taken before the Waste Lands Committee in the case of Sowry v. Hawke's Bay Land Board. He said the sole question for deter initiation was a bare point of law as to whether the defendant Board had power, under the provisions of the Land Act,_ 1885, to hold the proposed enquiry, and it was equally plain that the determination of this point of law could iv no way be affected by the republicatiou by Mr Haggen of the evidence given before the Waste Lands Committee. The plaintiff had thereforo completely failed to establish the grounds upon which he moved against Mr Haggen ; in short, the Court was asked to punish Mr Haggen for publishing matter which was wholly immaterial to the Buit. He had no doubt the publication of this matter, apart from its bearing in tho present suit, was privileged under the Parliamentary Privileges Act, 1805. He felt satisfied that by the publication of the evidence no right of plaintiff had been infringed, and the motion must, therefore, bo dismissed with ten guineas costs.