PRIVACY URGED

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 51, 29 August 1934, Page 10

PRIVACY URGED

DOMESTIC CASES

REQUEST TO MINISTER

ACTION TO BE TAKEN

An undertaking that he would ask all Magistrates to exclude from tho courts persons who were in no way connected with the proceedings when cases of a domestic character were being heard was given by the Minister of Justice (the Hon. J. G. Cobbe) today. The Minister gavo tho undertaking in the course of his reply to a deputation from tho National Council of Women, which asked that greater privacy should be extended to domestic cases.

Miss C. E. Kirk, Dominion president, said that the deputation asked that in affiliation, maintenance, and separation cases the idle public who had no connection with the case should be excluded. They did not ask for the exclusion of members of the legal profession, recognised social workers, friends of the parties, and the Press. Miss Kirk referred to the disadvantages of a girl or woman having to give ovidence of a personal nature in the presence of a crowded court, and said that sometimes1 tho witnesses' courage failed, with the result that justice was not done. She claimed that she was speaking for 45,000 women, representative of 171 organisations. The Magistrate had power to close a court when he thought the evidence would be injurious to public morals, but it was hardly likely that the morals of those who attended domestic cases unnecessarily would be injured by what was heard. "In the interests of justice and decency we ask that you would take some steps to have the idle public excluded from these courts," she said. Miss M. England said that they were not asking the Minister to do something that was not done in other parts of the world. In some parts of Australia visiting women Justices of the Peace had to1 obtain special, orders to attend the courts. Mrs. M. J. Forde endorsed the views of Miss Kirk and Miss England. A DIFFICULT QUESTION. > Eeplying, ths Minister said that a very difficult question had been raised by the deputation. Personally, he was entirely in sympathy with the objects of the deputation,, but the Government had to be careful that something was not done which would have a harmful effect. He aad made inquiries, and had found that a special room in Wellington was allocated to the hearing of domestic cases. He thought that Wellington Magistrates were very careful to have the court cleared of undesirable persons. ■ • -. Miss Kirk said that Wellington cases used to be.heard-in a large room. They were now heard in a smaller room, but there was •' still sufficient accommodation to enable loiterers to be .present. ,"I quite agree that these loafers should not be allowed.to hang round," said the Minister. He stressed the danger' of passing. ■ legislation that might go too far, and said that he was prepared to write to the Magistrates asking.them to have the court cleared of persons not1 connected with the cases.

Miss Kirk: That would give us great satisfaction.

The Minister: We will see how that works. If it has no effect, come and see me again. ■*, ■ -