New Soviet Department of Justice Moscow, June 21, The Soviet Government, in dri apparent plan to clip the wings of the [Secret Political Police and to prevent injustices in the courts of ori-[ginal jurisdiction, has announced the lereation of a new department of with wide supervisory powers.
'The announcement and the text jof the decree creating the new department indicate that there have been many abuses of police and Jjudicial power and that the local tribunals' have, im some cases." east, lent themselves too readily to programmes of the political and criminal police and the militia, The new decree gives the justice department the power to "review legality' and correctness of the tivities of the Ogpu, or political police, an organisation hitherto hold=
inder the new regulations made almost sacred position, the department, which is tobe known. as the All-Union. Procuratorial Department, judicial procedure in all parts of the Union many be supervised. The Department is. empowered to standardise the court Practice.
The most radical departure from the old system is that giving the department. power to take a. trial out of the hands of a local court at fany stage of the proceedings.
Corrective institutions may' be investigated and supervised to provide redress for the prisoners and to pre= went or put @ stop to punitive excesses.——United Pres
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.