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open any letter in the Post Office and you cannot ask me the reason, because there is a war on." 1 submit the very statement shows it cannot hold water. No doubt it will be true to say that the appointment was requested by the Imperial Government. We know that before the war commenced there was a body in England known as the Imperial Council of Defence, whose duty it was to provide for the means of defence of the Empire, and to see that if war broke out all parts of the Empire should be as ready as possible; and no doubt that body would, in concert with the various parts of the Empire—the various self-governing colonies—have contrived a set of instructions for the taking of all war measures deemed necessary, and no doubt the censorship included. But if such instructions as those were in existence I will undertake to say that the instructions must have been for the Minister of Defence or our Government to control the Censor. I think I have said all I can say just at this moment on that point. I will now proceed to call my evidence. I have forty-three clergymen here to give evidence that their letters were not delivered. Mr. Gray: I have already admitted that the letters posted on the Friday night and received at the Post-office on Saturday morning were handed to the Censor. His Worship: Therefore, presumably, were not delivered. We must take that as an admission, I think, Mr. Ostler. Mr. Ostler: Will my friend admit that some were not delivered until Monday, some not until Tuesday ? Mr. Gray: All we know is that the letters were released by the Censor on Monday. Mr. Ostler: A good many were not delivered until Tuesday. Mr. Gray: These letters, so far as Aye know, went out on Monday afternoon. Mr. Ostler: I propose to call one or two, at any rate, to show that they did not get their letters until Tuesday. Rev. Charles Hewlings Garland examined. I.' Mr. Ostler. ] What is your full name, Mr. Garland? —Charles Hewlings Garland. 2. You are a Wesleyan Minister?—A Methodist Minister. 3. Residing where? —Remuera, Auckland. 4. Did you get a letter addressed to you from the Protestant Political Association, asking you to notify the holding of a meeting from your pulpit on Sunday, the 7th July?—l did. 5. Can you give us the date on which you received it? 6. Mr. Gray.] Have you got the letter here? 7. Mr. Ostler.] Do you know whether your envelope was preserved?—No; I did not preserve it. 8. Can you tell me the date on which you got it?—Of course, I can only speak from memory now, but when I spoke in the City Town Hall I was then speaking from a fresher memory than I have now, and there 1 stated what I still believe is correct —I received it on Tuesday morning. 9. That is, the Tuesday before the meeting?— Yes. It was for a pulpit announcement to my congregation. It was no use keeping it; I threw my letter away. 10. Mr. Gray.] You saw from the contents of the letter that the import was the request to you to make the announcement from the pulpit: when did you receive it?— Trusting my memory, I can only say it reached me Tuesday morning. 11. How are your letters usually delivered? —We have two deliveries—morning and evening. 12. You live at Remuera—that is some distance out? —A little way beyond Brighton Road. 13. What time is the afternoon delivery made at your house?— Between 2 and 3 o'clock. 14. And the morning delivery?— Between 9 and 10 o'clock. 15. Were you away at all on the Monday afternoon?—l could not say. 16. Is there any possibility of the letter having been left at your house on the Monday afternoon during your absence, and not brought to your notice till Tuesday morning?— Well, I suppose there is a possibility, but it would be extremely improbable. 17. You see, Mr. Garland, you recognize the difficulty of the Post Office, as you are not able to produce the letter and show the postmark upon it. You made no complaint to the Post Office about the late delivery of your letter?— No. 18. Was there anything special about the condition of the envelope?— Nothing that I can recall. 19. Are your letters delivered by letter-carrier at your house?— They are put into a box near the gate. 20. They are put into a box near the gate : how far is the box from the house ?—About a chain. 21. Whose duty is it to clear the box? —No one's duty. 22. Any one connected with the house?— Yes. 23. Then there is no one who does it regularly?— No. 24. Are you quite certain that that box was cleared late on Monday afternoon ?—I could not be certain now. Rev. Reuben Bailey examined, 1. Mr. Ostler.] Your full name, Mr. Bailey?— Reuben Bailey. 2. What is your denomination ?—Baptist. 3. Living where?—ln Richmond, Grey Lynn. 4. Did you get that envelope, Mr. Bailey?— Yes. • 5. Can you tell us when you got it? —Tuesday morning, the 10th July. 6. There is a note there : is that your writing?— Yes, that is my writing. 7. Did you put it there at the time?— Yes, I put it there on Wednesday morning.