Reasons why a journalist who publishes the contents of a confident tial police document may be punished under the Official Secrets Act of 1920 were given recently in the King's Bench Divisional Court by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Hewart- Sitting with Mr. Justice Humphreys and Mr. Jüstice Macnaghten, he held that a borough police officer was "a person holding office under his Majesty," and gave judgment dismissing, with costs, the appeal in which Mr. Ernest David Gibson Lewis, journalist, of Derby-road, Heaton Moor, Stockport, challenged a decision of magistrates at Stockport, finding him £5 under ihe Official Secrets Act, states the "Daily Telegraph and Morning Post."
The summons alleged that Mr. Lewis failed to give on demand to Supt. Arnold Cattle, of Southport Police, information in his possession relating to a suspected offence under, Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act, 1911, contrary to Section 6 of the Official Secrets Act, 1920. The matter came before the Divisional Court on a special case stated by the magist rates.
The police-court proceedings against Mr. Lewis arose out of an article published by the "Daily Dis-headed "Frauds of Workers Alleged: patch," Manchesteryon June 17, 1937,
Warrant for Man with Scar."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.