Edwards Evidence

Northern Advocate, 20 May 1949, Page 6

Edwards Evidence

Continuing hi evidence yesterday in h : , libel action against the New Zealand Press Association, Leslie Edwards said he relied on the word Communist to support his claim that the article inferred that he was not a person who bore true allegiance to the Government or the British Commonwealth. For the suggestion that he did not respect the constitution he relied on the phrase: “Their (Communists) interpretation of history is obsolete and destructive. He relied on no specific paragraph for his claim that it was suggested he bore allegiance to a foreign power and that he would be a traitor to his own country, and an instigator of industrial unrest and that he used his journalistic skill for the propagation and furtherance of these objects. He did not think the latter could be inferred from any statement of his. PLAINTIFF’S EDITORIALS. After Mr Watson had’quoted from editorials written by plaintiff, Edwards denied that he was accustomed to using language that might be considered defamatory. He remembered referring to a Supreme Court Judge as “an eminent jingo.” Plaintiff agreed he had written an editorial in the. Sou them Cross regarding Randolph Churchill which led to a libel action. He had used the sort of language, he said, that political opponents used against one another. Mr Watson: You give, in other words, journalistic hard knocks and expect to receive them? Plaintiff: Yes. RULING BY JUDGE His Honor interrupted Mr Watson, saying he was asking questions which appeared to be intended to mitigate damages. ' To put it bluntly, counsel was saying: "Plaintiff is claiming damages for something said about him. Look •at what he said about somebody else.’’ Mr Watson, His Honor suggested, was also going some distance towards justification. Mr Watson said that if he could show plaintiff was in the habit of consorting with Communists and was an extreme left-winger, it would bear oil the question whether the statements complained of were defamatory. His Honor said he ruled otherwise. Re-examined by Mr Henry, plaintiff said the Society for Closer Relations With Russia was started during the war. SOCIETY’S AIMS Those behind the inception were people like the late Rev. P. Parris, Mr H. Atmore and Mr Scrimgeour. It had the blessing of men like Mr Nash and Mr Holland.

The society was concerned with the development of economic and cultural relations with Russia. Plaintiff said he had written editorials which could be regarded as proAmerican and anti-Soviet. When a former editor of the Southern Cross, Robert Harper, was called and questioned by counsel for plaintiff about plaintiff’s reputation as a journalist, Mr Watson objected. After submissions by Mr Henry, His Honor said he did not think the evidence sought was relevant or necessary. Mr Henry then closed his case.