Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 1 December 1910, Page 1976

Notes

St. Patrick’s College Jubilee Celebrations Wo direct our readers’ special attention to the cordial invitation extended, through our advertising columns, to all the friends of St. Patrick’s College, Wellington, to be present at the Silver Jubilee celebrations on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of the present month. The Post Office and King Manoel The Figaro states that a number of copies of that journal sent since the revolution to its royal subscribers, King Manoel and Queen Maria Pia of Portugal, have been returned to Paris with the remark in Portuguese, Left present address unknown.’ ‘ F.C.G.’ on the Situation ‘ F.C.G.,’ in the Westminster Gazette , illustrates the new position with regard to Home Rule by drawing Mr. Redmond sitting in a bower, and gazing through the trelliswork at him is an old lady, called ‘ Old Tory Party,’ who says: 1 Well, I declare if he isn’t quite a pleasant-looking gentlemanand I used to think he was so horrid! And I rather like the smell of the cigar [Home Rule] he’s smoking!’ That American Interview A good deal of attention was devoted in the press of the world to the report of an interview alleged to have been given by Mr. Redmond —while in Americato the New York correspondent of the Daily Express, in the course of which the Irish leader was represented as considerably watering down the terms of the Irish demand for Home Rule. As might safely have been anticipated, . Mr. Redmond has taken the earliest opportunity of repudiating the accuracy of this American ‘ interview,’ and of issuing the following explicit statement on the point: 1 Gur minimum demand is for an Irish Parliament with an executive responsible to it and full control over all purely Irish matters. This is the definition of Home Rule to which the British Prime Minister and the entire Liberal Party stand pledged, and is our minimum demand.' * ‘What is understood as devolution,” or the creation of a council in Ireland without legislative p'owers, was proposed by the Liberal Party in a Parliamentary Bill in the year 1907, and was rejected by us. Devolution is dead, and there will be no resurrection for it. As for what is called “Home Rule all round,” or a general system of federalism, of course, if England, Scotland, and Wales desire to have Parliaments of their own under a federal system, Ireland would have no reason to object. I think we would agree that our Home Rule constitution should be

of such a character as to fit in with a general system of federation later on, but it must be clearly understood that Ireland cannot wait until England, Scotland, and Wales have made up their minds to get Home Rule for themselves.'

A Libeller in Trouble Some time ago we drew attention to the fact that a luridly-covered and venomously worded publication, bearing the imprint of ‘ W. P. Black,’ Auckland, and containing a disgraceful and scurrilous attack on the personal character of Sir Joseph Ward, was being hawked about the streets of our larger towns; and we expressed the hope that something might be done to. put an end to the scandal. In his over-eagerness to rake in the shekels by this discreditable appeal to personal and political prejudices one of the purveyors of this precious production has fallen foul of some borough by-laws: and Sergeant Bowman, of Timaru, is to be complimented on his quickness to see and promptness to seize the opportunity presented. The facts are set out in the following paragraph, wired by the Timaru correspondent of the Dunedin Evening Star: What was described by the police as a scurrilous attempt to damage a public man in his public position was before the Magistrate’s Court to-day, when Lupas Black, a stranger to Timaru, was prosecuted under the borough by-laws for distributing handbills about town. The handbills announced the sale of a book attacking Sir Joseph Ward. The magistrate agreed with Sergeant Bowman in describing the distribution of the handbills as a scurrilous attempt to injure a public man, and imposed a fine of £5 and costs.’

The same amiable characterthat is, the publisher of the attack on Sir Joseph Wardis also editor and publisher of a coarse and violent Socialist paper, known as the Leader; and he is now 'in the soup' for a scurrilous libel which he had printed in that squalid publication. The case was heard the other day in the Supreme Court at Wellington. The plaintiff, who claimed £5Ol as damages and other relief, was Elijah John Carey, and tho defendant William Pierrepont Black, editor and publisher of the Leader, the weekly Socialist paper published in Auckland. The pleadings showed that the plaintiff is president of the Wellington Trades and Labor Council, secretary of the Wellington Cooks' and Waiters' .Union, tho Wellington Grocers' Union, and the New Zealand Federated Hotel and Restaurant Employees' Association. It was claimed that the plaintiff had suffered damage by an article in the Leader on September 2 last, whereby the defendant meant that the plaintiff was a traitor and a liar, and was unfit to occupy any position of trust, and was an impostor, and unfit for any position as office-bearer in any Labor organisation. An injunction was asked to restrain the defendant and his agents from further circulating, distributing, or otherwise publishing the said article or any other articles of the same nature, or similar libels affecting the plaintiff and his offices. The article complained off was headed: ' A Lying Labor Traitor; Carey Wants a Government Job; Repudiates New Zealand Federation of Labor.' The defendant pleaded justification, fair comment, and privilege. His Honor, the Chief Justice, in giving judgment, said that the defendant had utterly failed to show that the statements were true or the comment bona fide. It was only charitable, said tho Judge, to suppose that the writer was unaware of the meaning of the English language, for he used words entirely unwarranted by any facts brought under his notice. Plaintiff was entitled to recover. The Judge did not know if tho full damages claimed would be too much to give under the circumstances, but to give excessive damages against a man of no means would be no use. Damages were fixed at £7O, costs as per scale.

It w as well that Mr. W. P. Black should learn once for all that in civilised communities blackening people's character is not a paying occupation.