662 / 736
"Solicitors with their scale fees linked to house
prices have had very good increases in view of
house prices shooting up," said Mr. Ashton. He
objected to them asking for more.
(Daily Telegraph,
14th January, 1971)
S. AFRICA TO CENSOR DEBATE
ON
CENSORSHIP
South Africa, which already has one of the
strictest censorships in the world, is to have a
new law censoring public discussion of censorship
itself.
In terms of a bill published yesterday, it will
be forbidden to publish details of extracts cut
from films, or of any film banned altogether. A
loophole in the present law, which allows the
private screening of films without censorship law
entitles the publications control board, which is
the government's official censoring organisation,
to refuse to give any reason for any of its actions
—a facility of which it makes maximum use. The
new bill, more ominously, also allows the board
or its agents to enter any premises and seize any
publications or object which might provide
evidence of an offence under the law.
If someone has seen a banned film in a country
where it is allowed to be shown, he will be
breaking the law if he comes back to South Africa
and publishes his views on the film. This means
that the only places in which such matters will be
open to discussion when the bill becomes law is
a court of law, if there is an appeal against a
ban, or in parliament under the protection of
privilege.
The government said last night it had no inten
tion of taking any action about the country's
"immorality" act, which prohibits miscegenation.
That statement came from the Minister of Justice.
Mr. Pesler, when the Opposition in parliament in
Capetown mounted a fierce attack on the Govern
ment's handling of the "Excelsior scandal."
In this, five white men and 14 African women
were discharged on the first day of what was
scheduled to be a three-week trial under the
Immorality Act last week. The reason given by
the prosecution was "the reluctance of state wit
nesses to give evidence."
Mr. Pelser said last night: "As long as I am
Minister of Justice, and as long as this Govern
ment is in power, the Immorality Act will not be
scrapped." Mr. Michael Mitchell, Opposition
Front Bench Spokesman on Justice, earlier
demanded a commission of inquiry into the
administration of the act in the light of extra
ordinary withdrawal" of the Excelsior charges.
Mr. Mitchell said the act was "the most dreaded
law in our statute book and has caused more
suicides than any other — even when merely
charged." (One man accused at Excelsior shot
himself to death the day after he was charged).
Sources close to the Government indicated that
fear of adverse publicity abroad had played a
major part in the decision to withdraw the
Excelsior charges, as foreign correspondents had
gathered at Excelsior to cover the case.
(The Irish Times)
SECRETS
DECISION TO PROSECUTE
DEFENDED
Sir Peter Rawlinson, Attorney-General said
that his Labour predecessor acted "with complete
propriety" in giving consent to the prosecutions
in
The Sunday Telegraph
secrets case.
He was replying to a Commons question from
Mr. Michael Havers, Conservative M.P. for
Wimbledon and a Q.C., asking for a statement on
the role of the Director of Public Prosecutions in
relation to decisions to prosecute under the
Official Secrets Act.
In a written reply, Sir Peter said that proceed
ings under the Official Secrets Act could only
begin with the consent of the Attorney-General.
In the recent case, Sir Norman Skelhorn,
Director of Public Prosecutions, caused the facts
to be investigated, and obtained the consent of Sir
Elwyn Jones, the Attorney-General in the last
Labour Government, for proceedings to be
instituted.
"The Director and my predecessor discharged
their respective functions in connection with this,
as with every other case, not on behalf of the
Government but as the duly constituted, in
dependent authorities responsible for the enforce
ment of the criminal law," added Sir Peter.
202