CORRESPONDENCE
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2230.1963.tb00733.x |
| Published date | 01 September 1963 |
| Author | T. B. Smith |
| Date | 01 September 1963 |
SEPT.
1963
REVIEWS
607
COMMENTARY
ON
THE
IMMORALITY ACT (Act
No.
23
of
1957).
By
G.
M.
HARDIE, B.A., LLB., Advocate
of
the Supreme Court
of
South Africa, and
G.
R. HARTFORD, B.A. (Hons.) (Rhodes),
B.A.
(Oxon.), Advocate of the Supreme Court
of
South Africa. [Cape
Town, Wynberg and Johannesburg: Juta
&
Co., Ltd. Stocked
and distributed
in
Europe and the
U.K.
by Sweet
&
Maxwell,
Ltd.
1960.
xiv and
113
pp. (with index).
45s.
6d. net.]
“
TMMoRALITY
”
in the South African sense is not confined to sexual relations
between white and coloured persons .but includes offences connected with
brothels, prostitution, the defilement of children, abduction, sexual offences
against female idiots and imbeciles, the use of drugs for sexual purposes and
offences such
as
indecent exposure. Nevertheless section
16
which prohihits
“
almost
all
behaviour of
a
sexual nature between white and coloured persons
”
is
the best known section of the act and takes up
36
of
96
pages
of text in
this book. In the text and especially the examples
at
the end of each section
-entertaining if they were not tragic to the persons concerned-we see the
law not
as
an
ass
but
as
a
malicious peeping Tom, an instrument of tyranny
half blunted by hair-splitting. The authors’ commentary, which contains not
a
word of comment on the policies underlying the Act, is
a
very competent
piece
of
work.
A.
M.
Ho~onb.
PATENTS, TRADE
MARKS
AND
DESIGNS
ZN
AFRICA. By
G.
C.
WEBSTER, B.A., LL.B., Patent Agent and Attorney
of
the
Supreme Coiirt.
of
South Africa. [Pretoria: Patlaw (Pty.), Ltd.
;
Cape Town, Wynberg and Johannesburg: Juta
&
Co., Ltd.
1961. 146 pp.
(no
index).]
THERE
are
122
pages of text which contain brief notes about the law
of
patents,
trade marks and designs in
49
African countries. Then follow an index of
forms (no references to pages) and
22
pages of forms. There is also
a
map
of Africa and
a
list of countries with populations and areas. The hook
will
be
useful to
a
business man who wishes to take out patents or register trade
marks
or
designs in African countries, and fortunately the industrial laws of
the countries concerned change less often than their constitutions.
A.
M.
Horrod.
CORRESPONDENCE
THE
EDITOR,
The
Modern Law Review.
Sir,
The
Modern
Law Review
maintains an admirable policy
in
granting
complete freedom of expression to reviewers, while also inviting comment by
authors
of
works which have been subjected to manifestly hostile review.
It
is in this situation that
I
have been sent
a
copy
of
Professor Walker’s
review for comment. (See
(1963)
26
M.L.R.
466.)
It
would be as ill-hred of an author to curse
a
reviewer for
a
bad review
as
to bless him for
a
good
one.
I
invoke neither cursing nor blessing on Professor
Walker. Most certainly it is
a
reviewer’s duty
to
point out errors of
comniission and omission, and indeed conscientious reviewing may
be
invelurtble
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