STREET PREACHING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1202, 15 March 1895, Page 33

STREET PREACHING.

The cases in which Reuben Edwards, captain of the Salvation Army, and Reuben Smith, of the Central Mission, were charged with obstructing Cuba street and Dixon street respectively on the night of Saturday, the 2nd inst., were heard before Mr Stanford, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Inspector Pender said the crowds attracted by street meetings had become so large of late that many business people had objected to the practice, and the police had felt it to be their duty to endeavour to put a stop to it. ’ • V;

The £rst case taken was that against

Reuben Edwards, for whom Sir Robert Stout appeared. Sergeant-Major Ramsay gave a description of the Army gathering similar to that which has already appeared in our columns.

In answer to Sir Robert Stout, he said lie was not aware that Mr G. "Winder, ironmonger, had withdrawn his name from a petition praying that a stop should be put to the practice of holding meetings at the corner of Cuba and Manners streets and Cuba and Dixon streets. He did not know anything about the petition. Constable McCarthy stated that several prominent business, men in the locality had complained of the practice of holding meetings in this place. Sir Robert Stout contended that the information did not disclose any offence. A case in which officers of the Salvation Army were charged with obstructing a street by holding a meeting was heard by the late Lord Chief Justice Coleridge and a jury in England, and the defendants were acquitted. There were no by-laws here dealing with preaching at street corners, and on that account the charge against the defendant must fall to the ground. * John Collins, J. Kitchen, C. Colquhoun, H. Petersen, D. Hampton, W. Queree and W. Reid were called for the defence, and stated that they met with no obstruction in Lower Cuba street on the night of the 2nd inst. while the meeting was being held. His Worship said it appeared to him that what might not be an obstruction in one street might be an obstruction in another. He had to regard the average number of vehicles passing down Cuba street. The evidence on the whole showed that there had not been a technical obstruction on the 2nd inst. It might be quite possible that the same crowd in andther street might cause an obstruction, but he had nothing to do with that now. As a technical obstruction had not been proved, the information would be dismissed. 1

Inspector Pender withdrew the charge against Captain Smith, saying that after the decision just given he did not think it was any use going on with it. Mr Morison appeared for Captain Smith.