THE HARBOUR BOARD AND THE PRESS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 74, 20 December 1907, Page 8

THE HARBOUR BOARD AND THE PRESS.

A HEATED DISCUSSION. . At yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board, the reading of the resolutions of the recent emergency meeting, embodying the decision to purchase the Patent Slip, was the occasion of a somewhat heated discussion . 011 the relations between certain members of the Board and the newspapers.

Mr. Fletcher said that on the morning after the meeting referred to, there appeared in the "New Zealand Times" some matter which was 1 ' practically a re))ort of part of the proceedings of the Board in committee. 11c wished to know whether it was the proper thing, for any member of. the Board to disclose what'was done in committee. 1

Tho' Chairman (Hon. T. K. Macdonald, M.L.C.) said that The Dominion had published the whole of the confidential and private report mado by the engineers to the Board and the City Council for the-private consideration of the two bodies. That was after the Board had adopted the report, and certain parts of it that could bo published without doing harm had been given to the Press. The remainder of the report must have been given to Thf, Dominion by some member of. the Board or of the City' Council, who, later on, would no doubt state that he had done so.

The Secretary (Mr. W. Ferguson) here remarked that every copy of-the report which was issued was stamped " Confidential."

The Chairman, continuing, said, it' was greatly to be regretted that a member, of either of the two bodies should act as someone must have done. The matter the Board and the Council were considering was one of great public moment, and it was extremely undesirable that certain details should bo published, as it would lead to increased expense being incurred. The <. action referred to was' contrary to the public interest, and to the agreement between the members of the two bodies. It would bo impossible to allow information to be giveii to the Press at all, if confidential communications of this character were to bo published too earlv.

My Harold Beauchamp said b e had not either directly, or indirectly, to any representative of the Press, the cohtents of 'any document that was before the Board. He did not know how'the report in question came, to appear in Tite Dominion. As to the Patent Slip, the papers had published- a great deal about it, and a great deal had been given them by the Chairman himself. He (Mr. Beauchamp) was waited on by reporters, and made a . statement to them on that subject. & Mr. Fletcher said he quite agreed with what had been said as to the impropriety of allowing the Evans Bay report to bo published, but it applied equally to the matter of the Patent Slip. The whole of Mr. Beaucbamp's speech in committee on this subject was published in tlie " New Zealand Times." He (the speaker) had refused to give information to reporters as to what was done in committee, but if oi)e member was to give them his speech, others would be entitled to do the same. ■

Mr. W. T. Wood , said that both the Chairman and Mr. Beauchamp, when called upon by reporters, had £iven their Views as individuals, and not as members of the Board, arid he contonded that their action was justifiable. ' The Chairman disagreed with Mr. Wood. Neither the Chairman nor any member could do/ in his private capacity, what he could, not do officially. He had absolutely declined to give any information to the Press regarding the Patent Slip until the i matter was, settled by the Harbour Board. Mr. Wood retortccj that the Chairman ; had made statements to . the papers at Christchurch and fllso«;here about the Patent Slip. The Chairman said that when approached by Pressmen at Christchurch and Dunedin, lie had discussed tho question of tho foreshore, at Evans Bay, and had explained that the Board did not intend to do anything to lako away from the people of Wellington .their rights regarding-the-foreshore. Fie was justified iiv making such' a statement, be-: cause, on "the day he left. Wellington, • the : Board had decided to purchase tho Slip. Ex-' traordinary statements had been made public by other members of the Board, and Mr. •Beauchamp had acted quite wrongly. Mr. Beauchamp: "According to your view." ,

The Chairman: "And I have h?cl, I sup- j pose, as much experience of public life : as you have had." Mr. Beauchamp said he had been approached after the last meeting by a reporter, who remarked, that he understood from the Chairman tftat tlie Gas Company had never abandoned its option over the His reply was in a contrary senso, and lie would now draw the Chairman's atton':.ion to a statement made by him (the Chairman) in the'Legislative Council, to the effecc. t'"p.i the Gas Company had to 1 go to Miramar for a site, because they could not get one noarer to the city. . . . The \Chairman: "I i don't .know . anything about that." Mr. Beauchamp:-"Yon are trying me with-' out formulating "the charges or'producing the, evidence." Ho protested that he 'was being;. attacked personally in an improper manner. ■ : ' ■. . ' The Chairman said ho did not believe that any member of the Hoard had given the report to The Dominion. glad to have Mr. Beauchamp's denial. .• Mr. Beauchamp: "Do'you accept it? I will give you niy word of honour that I did not disclose that report." The Chairman: "Certainly, T accept that." Mr. Shirt'cliffe said that he had not talked to the Press about the Patent Slip, and knew nothing'as to how . the- report oil the reclamation came.into the hands of the newspaper. 1 The matter then dropped. It; was-subsequently resolved to hold a special meeting on -Monday next, to go into the whole' question of the Patent Slip and connected matters. The Chairman intimated that correspondence on the . subject dating from 1902 would be submitted.-

DISCUSSION BY CITY COUNCIL. -At the. meeting of the 'City Council last overling, Councillor Fletcher referred to the publication of the report, stilting that thfe matter-had been discussed at the Harbour Board meeting. llie Mayor replied that, it was very much to *be regretted that the information /'had been supplied, and that.the paper had published it, because it was a matter that should have been .kept absolutely private jn tbo interests :of. the people. He referred only to certain portions of the report marked "private and confidential." He had impressed this upon Councillors at the time, and also upon the reporters. In/the past the Press representatives had always been trustworthy'when asked not to. publish' anything. •Councillors generally concurred in His Worship's remarks, and expressed a strong desire to' know whero the paper had secured' its' information. The Mayor, in the course of further remarks, said that in the future, if any.reporters present at "a Council meeting were party to such a gross breach of privilege, tlte paper concerned would- bo notified that its representative would not be permitted to be "resent when- confidential matters Wero bei g discussed.