In their fight against the iniquities of the Official Secrets Act of 1920, British journalists seem to have achieved some success, for a Government Bill has been introduced into the House of Lords, by Lord Maugham, Lord Chancellor. providing for its amendment. Though the Act was originally designed to deal with the offence of spying, the powers of interrogation given to e authorities came ultimately to be directed inst newspapermen who obtained informa-lion in the ordinary course of their duties, and information at that which in no way imperiled the security of the country. Thus a year or so o, a reporter obtained and published the destion of a man wanted by the police in the north of England. The police authorities sought to secure from him the source of his information. He in accordance with long established journal liste etiquette refused to give it, whereupon ned, convicted and fined. Against this an appeal was taken, but the magistrate's judgment was upheld. Then followed last year he celebrated Sandys case, where it was sought to secure from a Member of Parliament, under ko same Act, the source of information on hich he had contemplated putting questions in of Commons concerning the alleged in's air defence. The various es emphatically protested against ihe application of the Act in the manner which had never been contemplated when it was originally passed, and for some time it looked as though the Government would continue to refuse to amend the law. The fact that an amending Bill has now been introduced indi. cates a complete change of heart b; ernment. The limitation of the ori cases of espionage in no way alters first intentions, for it was with this purpose that it was passed ey Parliament, after an assurance had been given that it would not be used in such cases as that of the newspaper reporter. It should be possible to protect national interests without interfering unduly with the liberty of the Press, and in the success of their agitation journalists will find a vindication of their traditional rights. The unfortunate reporter will still have a conviction recorded against him, for he infringed the law as it then stood, but ko wil probably find solace in the knowledge that the hardship inflicted pon him removed an intolerable burden from his fellows. Good journalists never tell,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.