DARDANELLES. INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2911, 25 October 1916, Page 5

DARDANELLES. INQUIRY

LORD CROMER INSISTENT ON | PUBLICITY. ■ . The Earl' of Cromer made an inter'•esting Teply in the House of Lords recently , to certain reflections on his fitness (his age is proside over the Dardanelles Commission which had been made in the House of Commons. Had ho cousult-ed his feelings, he said, he would have declined, but when he saw so many brisk young septuagenarians putting aside all personal feelings in the cans" of the nation at this time, he felt he would not be doing his duty if ho did not follow their example. Prom a few other observations, Lord Cromer made, oue gathered that he is determined the investigation by his Commission shall bo as thorough as possible. "I don't, thijik anything shoud be withheld from the public unless there are the strongest reasons against jt. I approach this inquiry, and I think niv colleagues will approach it also, with a strong predisposition in favour of publicity—the maximum amount of publicity rather than the minimum." Again, he observed that it might be necessary to relieve Privy Councillors of their oath of secrecy in order that they might disclose, in case of need, what happened at Cabinet Council. , The expression of Admiral Sir Hedworth Mens that this was only a "white-washing Commission," ■ aroused Lord Cromer's resentment. "The last thing I shall consider is whether the Government comes out of this as whits a? driven snow or hlnck as Erebus." The Commission would try to get "the truth, the - whole truth, and uu* thing but tho truth."-