SPECIAL COURTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23718, 26 July 1940, Page 7

SPECIAL COURTS

PROCEDURE IN BRITAIN DEATH PENALTY SAFEGUARD FULL PUBLICITY FOR CASES (Received July 25, 5.35 p.m.) British Wireless '•« ": LONDON, "July 24 In the"committee .'stage of the Emergency Powers Defence Bill, which provides for the setting up of special civil courts in areas where for military reasons the ordinary procedure of civil justice may become unworkable, an amendment to provide that where suoh a court inflicted the death sentence it should come under review by another judicial body before being" carried out received support from all partly of the House. The Home. Secretary, Sir John Anderson, said that it '.was an invariable rule, although not subject to any statute, that in all cases where capital sentence was pronounced, the sentence was considered by the Home Secretary . whether there was an appeal or not. The discussion, however, showed that members in all parts of the House felli the Bill itself ought to provide ajsafeguard. The amendment was accepted by the Government and adopted. A further amendment was with-< drawn after the Attorney-General, Si* Donald Somervell, had stated-that exJ cept in those rare cases where undei) the existing law it was in the publid interest that trials should be ?heard in. camera, it was the Governments desire that proceedings, taken before special courts should receive full publicity. The Attorney-General stated thai) every endeavour would be made to ensure that the president of a special court should be a Judge of the High Court or a legally qualified person of the highest standing. DUTCH SAILORS' GIFT DISTRESS FUND IN BRITAIN .(Received July 25, 5.30 p;m.) British Wireless LONDON. July 24 Men of the Dutch Navv whose ships have been helping to guard the British coast are among the first members oi the new All Services Club opened at a west coast port on Wednesday night. Welcoming them, the Mayor of tha town spoke of the gallant manner in which Dutchmen had helped to rescue injured people from the debris oi bombed houses recently, and of theii assistance in digging trenches. in tha ; area. Recently their commanding officer had approached him and said his men wanted to show some appreciation of the friendly associations they had made in the town, and'the result was that they had contributed-;£l6Q to tha Mayor's Distress Fund. BRITISH CASUALTIES LONDON, .July 24 The 31st War Office casualty list includes the names of 75 officers and. 874 men, of which 17 officer's and 45 men were killed, I£> officers and 15i men missing, and 42 officers and 628 men wounded. An Admiralty casualty list includes the names of 185 officers and 1597! ratings, comprising 45 officers and 571 ratings killed, 76 officers and 851 ratings wounded, and 64 officers and 175 ratings missing.

Bv special arrangement, .Reuter's world service, in.addition to other.special .sources of information, is used in the compilation of the oversea iutelligence published in this issue, and all rights tliereia in Australia ana -New Zealand are reserved. " -- Surh of the cable news ? a -£££!-, "nl «, headed New ZeaUnd by that the opinions are not thow of the Time* aniens expressly stated to on so. . .