REGULATION OF REPORTS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 6 September 1935, Page 4

REGULATION OF REPORTS

PUBLICATION OF PRIVATE' DETAILS (From “The Mail’s” Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, sth- September. Leave to introduce the Judicial Proceedings (regulation of reports) Bill was also sought by Mr Barnard, who said the Bill also had been introduced on a number of occasions and was taken up by the Government. It was referred to committee and was reported back with amendments. Since then nothing had been heard of it. One wondered what influence there could be that prevented the Bill from going ahead. There again the sincerity of the Government was called in question. The Bill would follow very much the Bill as reported from the Statutes Revision Committee. It dealt with the restriction of publication of evidence in certain cases, such as divorce and destitute persons cases, and also the publication of photographs of parties to cases. He again asked the Minister of Justice what the Government intended to do with the Bill. Mr F. W. Schramm (Labour, Auckland East) paid a tribute to the newspapers generally in reporting Court eases. Journalism generally was of a high standard, but there were sometimes exceptions. Witnesses and parties to cases should receive protection and private details and photographs should not be blazoned throughout the country. Mr H. E. R. Mason said the publication of some evidence often meant sulFering to innocent -iersons and the Government he alleged, deferred to the financial interests of those who made money out of the sufferings of little children. Decent newspapers did not report such evidence, but some did, and he hoped the Minister would put the Bill in the Statute Book. Mr Barnard in reply, testified to the decency of the newspapers in publishing evidence, but there were exceptions, or an exception, and he hoped there was nothing in the statement that the Government deferred to a- certain weekly newspaper in this country. The Bill was read a first time-.