THE JURY SYSTEM

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 125, 23 November 1923, Page 8

THE JURY SYSTEM

ATTEMPT TO ABOLISH IT?

"It seems to be becoming quite a common thing for juries to largely ignore the summing-up of Judges of the Supreme Court, ' remarked the president of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council^ to a "Post" reporter this morning. "In the opinion of the council, this appears to be a reflex of the action of Judges in ignoring the decisions.of ]unea and giving judgment contrary to their findings. There can be no doubt that this raises serious doubts in the minds of a good many people in the Labour movement as to'-whether an attempt is being made deliberately by Judges to do away with the jury system." The council has been much interested of" late in a case in which a decision given by a jury in favour of a worker at the Patent Slip in Evans Bay was subsequently reversed by the Full Court. Mr. Eead stated that if the casa was taken to the Appeal Court, probably several of the Judges would be the same gentlemen as sat in the Full Court hearing, and it'was not likely the decision would be altered. The only remedy, therefore, would be to take the case to the Privy Council, which would be too costly a procedure.