NATHAN “INCIDENT”

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 July 1941, Page 3

NATHAN “INCIDENT”

EVIDENCE FOR PROSECUTION? WELLINGTON, July 27. ' Mr. H. L. Nathan, of Wellington, in a letter sent to the “Dominion,” Wellington, has challenged the Minister at present in charge of the Police Department (Mr. Webb), to deny that there was ample evidence to justify a charge being laid over his complaint against the conduct of five trade union secretaries who visited his office during the recent local body elections. Mr. Nathan’s' letter follows: “In answer to a question by Mr. McKeen in the House yesterday, as to why no police prosecution had been instituted pursuant to my complaint against five trade union secretaries, Mr. Webb, Minister in charge of Police, is reported to have replied that the matter was thoroughly investigated by the Police Department, and that all those concerned were interviewed, but on the evidence obtained there was no possible chance of securing a conviction. I now challenge Mr. Webb and the Police Department to deny that there was ample evidence upon which any magistrate would have sent the case to a jury, if the accused had elected to be so tried. It would then have been for the jury to say whether I had established the charge or not. As the police have chosen not to prosecute and the matter has now been publicly raised in Parliament, I now challenge the Minister to publish the whole of the police file and let the public be the jury. “Mr. Webb went on to say that he personally investigated the incident, because of its significance, and had seen the Commissioner of Police t Why? This was not a charge requiring the consent of the Attorney-Gen-eral, the Minister for Police, or any other Minister before an information could be laid. Why then had the Ministfa’ ‘personally investigated’ the incident? The police could have laid an information without referring to him. Did the Minister approach the police ,or did the police consult with the Minister before deciding that ‘on tpe evidence obtained there was no possible chance of securing a conviction?’ I think the public would like to know.” <