Could be Relied Upon To Be Temperate at all Times The privileges of the Press in courts of law were defended when a Standing Committee of the House of Commons considered the first two clauses of the Summary Procedure (Matrimonial and Other Matters)
Bill, The Bill seeks to make provision for the hearing of domestic cases by not more than three justices; for the separation of domestic proceedings from criminal, and for some restriction on public attendance. It also aims at restricting reports of matrix monial or guardianship of infants cases, similar to the way+in which the reporting of divorce cases is restricted.
The first clause of the Bill was approved. and when the second clause was considered, Mr. A. M. Lyons, K.C. (C. Leicester, E), moved an amendment seeking to delete a subsection prescribing what. persons should be allowed to attend the he ing of domestic proceedings. He contended that it should be open to everyone to walk into a British court wherever a British subject was being tried He thought the Press could be xetga pon st all times to give temperate! reports.
Mr. M. Petherick (C. Penryn and Falmouth) said that the people they wished to exclude from the courts were the "prurient Peeping Toms"—people who wanted to obtain a cheap snigger.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.