HOLLAND'S SENTENCE

Evening Star, Issue 15478, 28 April 1914, Page 9

HOLLAND'S SENTENCE

REMISSION REFUSED. The Hon. J. T. Paul received yesterday the following telegram from the Minister of Justice : The Hon. J. Allen has communicated to me the representations made to him by the deputation introduced by you urging a remission of the sentence imposed upon Henry Holland. The matter has received very careful consideration, and I regret that I can see no sufficient grounds to justify me in recommending' His Excellency the Governor to grant any - remission of the sentence imposed upon Holland. GAOL LIBRARIAN. [Special to the Sxau.] WELLINGTON, April 27. The move by the Labor leaders in Dunedin to secure a mitigation of Holland’s sentence for sedition created no surprise here, since such deputations are part of the stock in trade of all the Labor leaders. What did create surprise, and in some cases amazement, was the extremely favorable reply received from the Hon. J. Allen. At the time of the last political election one of the strongest reasons which induced a great many citizens to vote against the Liberals was the fact that continual deputations, largely by Labor bodies, were tending to undermine and destroy every form of legal sanction on which the well-being of the State rests. It was also undermining the efficiency of the public service, and, generally speaking, whenever a Labor deputation got to work politicians found it expedient to break or abrogate the lawIn Holland’s case one extraordinary reason advanced for mitigation was that his seditions words were uttered in a time of excitement.

Commenting on the case editorially the ‘ Dominion 1 says“ There is poly one point raised by the deputation worthy of consideration; that is, as to the prisoner’s state of health. If- it should be round that condition is such that he cannot possibly suffer confinement without such injury to his health as would warrant the Government taking action, then . there is some reasonable ground for action being takeh; but the Court took into consideration the appeal made on that account when imposing. sentence, and specially exempted the prisoner from hard labor. The occupation which has been found for Holland is .stated, to . be that of librarian at the gaol, which, in view of his stated fondness for books and reading, should be the most oongenial possible task to be found for im. Moreover, the gaol medical officer in the ordinary course of events will no doubt report should the prisoner’s state of health render it desirable that he should be xelaatod from confine* twaw4 ** -