SEDITION CASES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17788, 13 May 1918, Page 4

SEDITION CASES.

REQUEST FOR REMISSION OF SENTENCE. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. DECISION PROBABLE TO-DAY. During the past few days the Minister of Justice has received many telegrams, lot tors and other communications requesting a remission of the sentence of imprisonment passed at Christchurch on Wednesday on Hiram Hunter E. Langley and John Flood, on a charge of “ utterance with seditious intent ” at -a public -meeting. This plea was brought beforo Mr Wilford at Wellington on Saturday by a deputation of tho Advisory Board of Transport Workers (representing the Waterside Workers’ Federation, tho Federated Seamen’s Union, the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, tho Tramway Workers’ Federation anl the Drivers’ Federation). Mr L. Glover (president of the Watersiders’ Federation) said that the purpose of the prosecution appeared to bo a direct hit at Labour. Mr J. Roberts (secretary of the Federation) said that ho had been at Christchurch on this matter. Feeling was running very high there against tho sentences. The only intention of the men was to emphasise the point that the Government should give adequate consideration to requests of the Second Division League. Tho Christchurch “ Press,” which could not bo mistaken for a Labour paper, had stated that the three men should bo immediately released, provided guarantees of their good behaviour would bo given. Tho convictions showed that there had been class bias. The general feeling was, that the men should not have been sentenced, or that t)io penalty shou'd havo been much less severe.

Mr W. T. Young (secretary of the Seamen’s Union) stressed the point that Mr Holland, Mayor of Christchurch, with long experience in the conduct of public meetings, was not aware of any seditious tendency in the motion which he had put to the meeting in question. How then could it bo expected that tho convicted men should have been aware of any such tendencyP Another important fact was that though the war regulations provided for fines as an alternative form of penalty, he knew of no case in which a Labour man had been fined; tho punishment was always bv imprisonment. Tlie Minister congratulated the deputation on the moderate and reasonable way in which it had stated its case. Tho position was that war regulations were under the Attorney-General and the Crown Law officers until a sentence was imposed. It was only after men were sent to prison that ho was concerned with the question of a remission of sentence. He had inquired exhaustively .into tho cases, and tho evidence, with his recommendations, would te placed beforo Cabinet on Monday morning. Ho expected that the Government’s decision would be announced by noon on Monday.

Councillor D. G. Sullivan lias given notice to move tho following motion at tho meeting of the Christchurch City Council on Monday, May 20:—“That, having regard to all tho circumstances of the cases, this council asks' the Government to exercise its prerogative of lenienev, and liberate from prison exCouncillor H. Hunter and Messrs E. E. Langley and J. Flood, recently sentenced on charges of sedition.” MR M’COMES’S MISSION. Mr J. M’Combs, M.P., returned to Christchurch on Saturday after interviewing Ministers in Wellington on the sentences imposed on E. E. Langley, J. Flood and PI. Hunter. The Acting-Premier was away from Wellington, but Mr M’Combs interviewed tho Attorney-General, the Minister of Justice, and tho Minister of Agriculture. They arranged for the petitions asking tho Government to exercise clemency to be considered at a meeting of the Cabinet to-day, when tho Act-ing-Prime Minister will return to Wellington. LETTER FROM ATTORNEY- ' GENERAL. Mr E. J. Howard wrote to Sir Francis Bell, Attorney-General, on the subject, and received a reply on Saturday. The Minister states that applications for revision of sentences must bo made to tho Minister of Justice, to whom he referred Mr Howard’s letter. Ho adds:—

■‘l think that it is dvn ft you that I should recognise at once the moderation and fairness witli which you submit your contentions. The subject must come under tho consideration of the whole Cabinet at an early date, and I feel sure that my colleagues will take care that the contents of your letter aro brought fully, before the Government when considering the request.”

Copies of the petition were signed by largo numbers of people on Saturday.