SAMOAN INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 115, 13 February 1928, Page 11

SAMOAN INQUIRY

COPIES OF FULL REPORT DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED Distribution to members of the Legislature of copies, and the ,complete report of and evidence heard before the Samoan Commission, was completed on February 3. This and other facts seem to be unknown to a correspondent of the Auckland “Star,” who wrote as follows on February 6:—“Mr. Coates explains that the delay in furnishing members of Parliament with copies of the Samoan Commission’s report is due to ' excusable delay on the part of the printer. Yet the “Samoa Times,” in its issue of December 23, acknowledges receipt from the Administration of the full report, printed, comprising fortythree foolscap pages. ‘The “Samoa Times” is a Government organ. Full copies of the report were available for some of the Government’s friends as far back as December 23, while Mr. Holland, the Leader of the Opposition, and other members of Parliament are still kept waiting. Why? ” Inquiries made by a Dominion reporter on Saturday elicited the information that the facts are not at all as stated by the “Star’s” correspondent. As the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates) has already explained, it was in the first instance found possible, owing to pressure at the Government Printing Office, to print only a limited number of copies of the actual report, omitting the voluminous evidence and, the appendices. Copies of this preliminary document were supplied immediately to the Press throughout New Zealand on December 10, in order that the actual findings of the commission should receive the fullest possible publicity without delay. These copies were issued in the usual way to all the daily newspapers. As far as members of Parliament were concerned it was deemed desirable that they should receive the full report, including the evidence and the appendices. The heavv work involved in printing the full document, which consists, not of 43 pages, but of 570, most of them in small type, caused an unexpected delay. However, distribution to members of both Houses of the Legislature was completed ten days ago.