THE POSTAL INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3167, 18 August 1917, Page 9

THE POSTAL INQUIRY

NON-DELIVERY OF LETTERS CHARGED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CENSORSHIP By Telegraph—Frees Association. Auckland, August 17. (The inquiry into the charge.? by the Rev. Howard Elliott against tho Auckland Post Office was resumed to-day. Mr. H. A. Ostler, who appeared for tho B-ev. Howard Elliott, said he wanted to make it quite clear that neither he nor tho party he represented had tlio Slightest desire to attack, tho dogma of . the Komau Catholic Church. They oluiin«d that it was tho political influence of the organisation and tho power in this direction exercised by the Church that tho Protestant Political Association was fighting. Tho issue was purely a political one. The Roman Catholic Church ■was one Church all ever tho world, and probably the biggest vested interest in tho world. Mr. Ostler then referred to recent events in America in connection with efforts to suppress a. paper started to counteract the influence of tho Catholics, lieferring to the charge relating to Box 912, Mr. Ostler said it was taken early in 1915 by the Loyal Orango liodgo and used by (he Committeo of iVigilan.ce, consisting of men alarmed at the political activities of the Catholic Church.in New Zealand. Tho committeo published a pamphlet, headed "Hideous Guilt of Bomo in European Carnage." That pamphlet had no , - connection whatever with military matters, ■«nd did.not infringe on tho right that still obtained iu this country of free F.peech, yet tho premises in which tho pamphlet had been published had been raided by the police and the pamphlet seized. 'Ho would like to know under what authority tho police did this. He understood they claimed to have acted under.somo war regulation, but he knew of no regulation that would authorise them to do this-. Various branches of the Catholic Federation in this country began to pass resolutions and to send them to the Government in an endeavour to get the publishers of the pamphlet prosecuted. Tho Hon. A. L. Herdman. absolutely refused to prosecute, and said in so many words that they had a perfect right to publish tho pamphlet, and that in doing so they did not commit a breach of any war regulation. Orders tommonced to come in. for the pamphlet +o Box 912, but ait tho very time that the Attorney-General refused to prosecute a military censorship-was established over the box. If thoy could not get an assurance at the present inquiry, the public would bo convinced that there was something wrong, and would set up an agitation that would never cease till they got to the bottom of the matter. Hβ submitted that it was absurd to say that the Government had not the power

(o say that tho censorship 6houkl cease. If it had not, thoro was virtually no Government in this country. When tho Committeo of Vigilance found that, lettore wero boiug censored, they wroto four letter addressed to tho Vigilance Committeo. These wore posted by the Eev. Howard Elliott to Box 912 on April IC. They dealt with no war subject at all. Ono of those letters was delivered, and the other three held up by the censor, and. they hud not received them yet. Tho three letters dealt with matters connected with the Koman Catholic Church, Was it any wonder, ho asked, that under the circumstances tho committee concluded that a military censorship was established over their correspondence in the interests of tho Koman Catholio Church? Counsel said that in March last an order was placed in tho orderbook at tho Auckland Post Office to tho effect, he alleged, that letters addressed to tho Vigilanco Committee wore to to submitted to the censor, the letters being identifiable by l)eing marked with a request- for return to the box if not delivered. After a meeting of the Protestant Association in July was advertised, now orders were issued that nil correspondence- to Box 912 should bo held. By whose authority was this done, and for iv'hat motive? If the answer was that it was dono by the military censor, they wanted to know why. Moreover, ho asserted that tho military censor was not consistent, as on the following Sunday, on counsel's advice, four more letters, exactly similar to the others and dealing with the same matters, were addressed to Box 912 and posted, and all wero deliveredr Dealing particularly with the charge regarding forty letters posted to Protestant ministers in, connection with the association's meeting, ho said only one was delivered on Saturday, although they bore the Post Office stamp showing they were in tho hands of tho officials at S a.m. on Saturday, in plenty of timo for early delivery. Two were never received at all, others wero delivered on Monday morning, and some on Tuesday. The envelopes had pieces of paper on the back that certainly were not there whon posted, and seemed to indicnto they had been opened by someone. Not one bore the words "passed by tho military censor," or any mark to show they had been subject to censorship. Apparently the cen6or had powor to open correspondence without giving any indication that he had done eo.

Mr. A. Gray, K.C., for the Department, her© eaid ho did not deny that letters had been held by the consor. Concluding, counsel said no local authority had beon givon by tho Govornment over a censorship of letters in New Zealand, and the opening of such was absolutely illegal. As to the question of Imperial control, he submitted that it was absolutely absurd, as the fact that an Order-in-Council had been passed appointing a censorship over telegrams showed clearly tho wjiolo matter was in the. hands of our Government.

A number of witnesses rare called, ministers testifying to the late delivery. Henry Sydney Bilby, secretary of the Protestant Association, save ovidonco as to posting 2500 circular, concerning which he had received a number of complaints that tho envelopes had been de-

livored empty. Ho wag certain they woro nil full when posted, as they contained a card, tho card being particularly noticeable whon stamping. Other witnesses testified to receiving onvelonea without contents, somo boariiifi a pencilled memo, that the envelope, had boon received without contents. Tho Tlav. Howard Elliott, in evidence, stated that when complaint was made to tho Postmostor-Goneral nijoiit tho nondelivery of letters, tho Minister replied that tho censorship was not under his jurisdiction, and representations should bo mndo to the Minister of Defence. The latter replied to tho letter stating that citizens must of necessity suffer some inconvenience at such times as the present. Ho gave instances of non-receipt of letters to and from tho committee. Tho inquiry was adjourned.