F.—B.
70
I. 0. WILLIAMSON.
116. In consequence of some communication from Wellington did you renew the instruction?—l did. 117. And was an order put into the order-book on some later date? Is this the order, dated the 24th March, 1917?— Yes. that is it. 118. It is a duplicate—carbon copy—of a typed copy signed by you. for your own file?— That is so. 119. That is signed by all the officers, I suppose, who have to deal with mail-mattei\ as indicating that it has been brought to their attention? —Exactly. 120. We were told yesterday by Mr. Morris that instructions were given to you from Wellington on, I think, the sth April?— Yes, that is so. 121. You appear to have anticipated that instruction: was it telegraphic?—No, by letter. 122. You received a letter from the Post Office, dated the s,th April : how came you to anticipate that particular order?— That is a matter which probably the Chief Mail Clerk can best answer, because he received instructions from me to give the matter attention. 123. Mr. Ostler.] That is to say, he carried out the orders before they were given?—No; 1 said that in consequence of orders from Wellington I gave that instruction 124. Mr. Gray.] Was there not some communication from Wellington prior to the sth April? —Yes. 125. A portion of tic Head Office file had been referred to you, and in consequence you renewed the instruction? —Exactly; 1 deemed it necessary to renew it, because search made at ( the time failed to trace the original instruction, and it was assumed—erroneously—that the instruction had not been given, whereas it had. 126. For reasons which you thought were sufficient, you decided to renew the instruction on the 24th March before you got another specific instruction from Wellington, dated the sth April ?—Yes. 127. The first part of this reads as follows: "Literature distributed by the Committee of Vigilance, post-office box 912, is to be submitted to censorship. The literature may probably be identified by a request on the cover to return letters, &o, if unclaimed, to box 912, G.P.0., Auckland, or the cover may bear the words ' Committee of Vigilance.' ' That is a repetition, is it not, of the order of the 19th December? —It, is. 128. "Please see that all correspondence posted at. Auckland, or detected in transit, is submitted to the Postal Censor." Who is responsible for that addition?—l am. 129. Why did you think il necessary (o add those two lines?— The instruction as it came was an instruction to me as Chief Postmaster. The addition was an instruction from me to my officers. 130. in your opinion was it possible to identify literature as such, if that means pamphlets, without examining all correspondence?— Quite impossible. 131. Why? —Because literature may be sent in closed envelopes just as readily as in open envelopes. 132. Now, since the revival of this order on the 24th March, has all correspondence, as far as you know, known to come from box 912, or addressed to box 912. been submitted to the Postal Censor?—l may say it has not. 133. How was that?— From want of memory on the, part of some of the officers. 134. Would that apply to the night staff or the day staff?—lt might apply to both, but it, happens to apply particularly to the night staff. 135. The night staff is very small ?—Two clerks. 136. On duty until 5 a.m. ?—Yes. 137. Do you suggest that one of the numerous orders in this book may have been overlooked or escaped attention ?—I should say it was quite possible. 138. Box 912, however, has not suffered from that lapse of memory? —On the contrary. 139. Are you able to say whether the circulars posted on t]\e 3rd and sth July, bearing the address " Box 912," were submitted to the Censor?—To the best of my knowledge and belief they were not. 140. Is there any one in your office who can say definitely?— One of the witnesses—Mr. Rudd —can say. 141. You have been informed by your officers that Ihe circulars were not submitted. Do you know anything about the submission of the closed envelopes posted on the Friday night?—l understand 260 were submitted to the Censor on Saturday morning Mr. Ostler: Surely that is the Censor's evidence. He is speaking from what he does not know. /lis Worship: Official reports made lo him. They can be verified after. 142. Mr. Gray.] Two hundred and sixty closed envelopes submitted to the Censor posted on Friday night: anything else?— And 200 on Monday. I would not say exactly about the numbers, but 460 altogether on those two days. 143. We may take it, I suppose, that the holders of box 912 are, not the only persons whose correspondence is censored in Auckland? His Worship (on being referred to by witness) : You are not asked to give particulars. Witness: No, not, the only persons. 144. Since the censorship lias been established what has been the practice in your office with respect to mail-mattei coming through for persons whose names are included in the order to censor?— The mail-matter has been held up by the clerks who were doing the sorting, and, as a rule, submitted to their executive officers, and then handed over to the Censor. 145. After that, have you any further concern with it?— None whatever: it immediately passes from the control of the Department to that of the Censor.
Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.
By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.
Your session has expired.