A VAGUE CASE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 45, 21 August 1931, Page 6

A VAGUE CASE

The House of Representatives cannot be said to have dealt clearly wilh the breach of privilege held to have been committed by an Auckland firm and an Auckland newspaper. The House ruled that a breach had been committed, but if one asks, "What is a breach of privilege?" the only answer returned is: "We cannot say exactly; but, anyway, this is one." So far as we can see the breach lay in an attempt to cull a member^ of Parliament to ac : count outside the House for what he said in it. A similar issue was raised in the House of Commoris in tho reign of William 111. by Colonel Churchill, who complained to the House that he had been summoned by the Board of Admiralty to answer for a statement in the House that some persons .in the Flaet were cowards. The Board explained, however* that it had only sought In-' formation concerning the persons against whom cowardice was alleged, and the House allowed the matter to drop, as it had vindicated the right of members who were .officers to speak without their remarks being called in question. The present case, however, is far from, being a parallel, nor could it be* termed intimidation of a member. We quite agree that Parliament should guard, carefully the privileges, of its members. It is right that they should be able to speak freely; but Parliament should not do anything which might be interpreted as. depriving the public. outside of the equal right to criticise. The House has, therefore, been wise to remit' the general question of privilege to a Committee to define it more exactly.