ARBITRATION COURT CASES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18515, 28 March 1922, Page 7

ARBITRATION COURT CASES

QUESTION OF PUBLIC COMMENT. . ME JUSTICE FRAZER’S RUUN(k (Pi* Umit*d Pius Amocixtiok.) WELLINGTON, Man* 27. At the hearing of the waterside worker#’ dispute by the Arbitration .Court to-day exception was taken by Mr Smith, the employers’ representative, to a letter by Mr Laurenson with regard to the arrest of the secretary of the union, and traversing the case before the court. In reply, it was contended that statements had appeared on. the other side, and that the case had been commented on freely by the press. The court was asked to make a pronouncement regarding the publication of matter concerning a case in dispute. After a brief consultation with his colleagues Mr Justice Frazer said that at the present stage the court did not want to express an opinion on the motives which might have influenced Mr Laurenson in his correspondence in the press' on the question of waterside work. The matter might m its origin have cropped up quite innocently, and the statements may have been made without any intention of influencing the court in any way. The case was now before the court, and it was a matter o( quite general knowledge that it was for the court to deal with the matter, and to take charge of all considerations raised by the parties. The law &s to comment oa matters that were sub judice wa a applicable ■ in tho Arbitration Court in any dispute, just aa it applied to any action, in .any. other court. No doubt in matters of puhbc and general interest the rule aa to comment of matters sub judice might bo lost sight of, but as to matters now brought forward the court was of opinion that it was-not necessary to take steps to punish anybody for anything that had been done. Now that tiie matter had been brought forward., everybody concerned would be careful to see that no public comment was made on any matters before the court. His Honor said the court knew it was difficult to the Hue sometimes, when the matter w«a q? - public and general interest, as to- wpst , might be discussed, and what might.rvo.t be discussed. It hoped that tha good sans# . of tin friends of both parties would _be sufficient to enable them to agree on toe danger line, and to confine comment to matters quite properly subjects of comment. Apart from the present dispute, he hoped it would not bo necessary to refer; to the matter again. The court, at the same time, did not think that in .the present instance any of the coTTespondenU jaaO any intention of deliberately prejudicing,ma," minds of the members of the court, or.pt r influencing the court at all. “As a nutter of fact,” said hie Honor, “I just skrmmedfhrough the letter* as one skims tiiougb, ordinary correspondence in newspaper*. - '