SKELTON LIBEL CASE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVI, Issue 183, 22 July 1926, Page 7

SKELTON LIBEL CASE.

COMMITTEE TO HELP PLAINTIFF. • Auckland, July 21. A meeting held last night casutieally criticised the reccxit fibci case in which Hall Skelton figured. Strong exception was taken to the attitude ot the Court throughout. The appointment o£ a special jury, after two definite fixtures before a cotiunon jury had been made, was severely comment cd upon. One speaker said that when the late Mr Massey took action for libel he applied for a special jury and was refused, as special juries were only granted where expert knowledge was required. Why was this exception made. A strong committee was appointed to carry out the objects of the resolutions that were carried as follows: — (1) That this mooting presents its sympathy to Mr and Mrs Hall Skelton and family in what they believe to be a grave miscarriage or justice inflicted on them in the recent libel action Hail Skelton v. Seabrook, and pledges itself to fin.i from a national fund to be collected all the cost# in connection With the case, and later to present a cheque from New Zealand sympathisers to mark their disapproval of what is common belief among widespread public opinion that tho ease in question was a travesty of justice(2) That this meeting will repre sent to Parliament urgently that legislation be introduced preventing any Judge in future from granting a special jury in any libel action, being contrary to the spirit and principles of the lawq as the jury in this case had no Liberal, no Labour and no Irishman thereon, and as such it was not right that they should have been asked to judge where a strong political opponent was the litigant. After plans for conducting the com paigu were concluded over £5O was subscribed in a few minutes to start off. It was announced that one sympathiser had already sent Mr Hall Skelton direct a cheque for 25 guineas and others had followed suit.