NO SEDITION.

Northern Advocate, 7 December 1916, Page 4

NO SEDITION.

A CHECK ON DISLOYAL UTTERANCES. WELLINCTOX, 1 >o<-i'inl.ov o. An Ordor-in-<.'ouncil has icoon i^~i'.i• ■ I providing additional evar roguint ion-;. They provide that---" <. 1.) No persou shall publish, or cans.' or prrinir to ho published, or do any Ad with inton; to publish, or to cause or permit to be published, any seditions i.'tter.-ui' c"; and CJ) no person shall do io New-Zea-land any net- with intent to procure the publication elsewhere than in New Zealand of any seditious utterance. " Sedition is defined under numerous headings, the regulations referring throughout i<> ''XW or any other part of His Majesty's i»o----miuions.'' They provide that seditious utterance means any utterance which is published with a seditious intention, or the publication of 'which has seditious Undmn-y, the terms meaning, respectively, an intention 01 tendency (a) to excite disaffection agaim-t His Majesty of the Government of lite United Kingdom or of New Zealand or of any other part of His Majesty's Dominions: (b> to excite, procure, or encourage violence, lawlessness, or '{■■■ order; <<■) to incite, procure or encourage the commission of any offence which is prrjudicul to the public safety; (d) to incite such hostility or 'ill-will between different classes as may endanger the public safety: eel to interfere with recruiting, training, discipline, equipment, or administration of His Majesty's forces, or with the effective conduct <>f the military or nasal preparations or operations of His Majesty or his allies: (f) to interfere with the manufacture, production. output, supply, delivery *>>' carriage of any goods or articles required by His Majesty; (u.i to interfere with the lading, unlading, manning, equipment, dispatch or use 1.1" any vessel carrying or about to carry from Now Zealand any of His Majesty's forces or any goods or merchandise belonging to His Majesty; (h,) to interfere with the effective 1 conduct of any undertaking of His Majesty which is requisite for the public safety; (i) to prejjudice His Majesty's relations with foreign Powers; (j) to discourage the prosecution of the present war to a victorious conclusion; (k) to excite or encourage opposition to the enforcement or administration of the laws relative to compulsory military training or service; (!) to interfere with the due administration in Now Zealand of criminal justice: (tin toincite any person or persons to refuse or fail, whether in New Zealand or elsewhere, to render service to the Crown in any capacity; or (tit to excite disloyalty. The regulations provide that "utterance include words, writing, pictures or any other significant expression or representation whatever, while "publish means to communicate either to the public (>r any person or persons, and whether oralis- or otherwise. Another clause 1 defines the rights of newspapers to publish statements sanctioned by the censorship and reports of judical tribunals. A further clause states: " ( 1 i No person shall be a party to a seditious conspiracy, -which means an agreement between two or more persons to carry into execution a seditious intention. Authority is given to the AttorneyGeneral to prohibit any person from landing in New Zealand if he is satistied that such person is disaffected or disloyal, or of such character that his presence in New Zealand would be injurious to the public safety. Any person who is found in New Zealand while such an order of prohibition temaius unrevokod may be' arrested without warrant by an constable, ponding his return by the same vessel or another belonging to the same owner. While the Attorney-General, in pursuance of clause 1 2d of the War Kegulation oT July 2(i, liMii, orders any person to leave New Zealand ho may authorise the immediate arrest ami detention of that person, and thereupon any officer may, without warrant, arrest that per-