31 MAY 1924, Page 3

In the Crumbles case the police complained that they were

impeded in their duty of making inquiries by the parallel or counter inquiries of newspapers. Judges have no desire to frighten off criticism or to prevent a proper publicity, which no doubt they value for its many social uses. Appeal Judges are notoriously lenient in their views about newspaper comments which might conceivably be regarded as constituting contempt of court, because they are not in the least likely to be influenced by such things. But when there is a jury to be influenced it is quite another matter. Any attempt at Trial by Newspaper ought to be suppressed in its earliest stages.