THE POSTAL INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3172, 24 August 1917, Page 5

THE POSTAL INQUIRY

6 — COMMISSION UECLABED CLOSED. • By Telegraph.—Press Association.' Auckland, August 23. Counsel's addresses were taken, in the ' Postal Inquiry this morning. Mr. Gray contended that Mr. Elliotfa " charges had not bejn substantiated. Out ' of 2500 envelopes posted containing circu- ' lars only nino persons received them . ! empty, and only two persons had beon. \ shown to not have received them at all. : Notices posted to forty clergymen had . ' been shown to have been delayed by tho ' censor, and the Post Office could not be " held in any way responsible. He drew acompari6on between the figures he quoted and the charges of corruption made by. Mr. Elliott from the public platform. In one instance at least a. letter was proved to be-wrongly addressed. In a . number of instances envelopes were post- ■ _ ; cd with the flaps outside. '. ■■ , . Mr. Ostler, in replying, submitted that • ' tho function of the Solicitor-General vraa wholly advisory. He had no right to take independent action in lecommonjlin" a censorship. Such action no held; to°be entirely unconstitutional without instruction from a responsible Minister. While he admitted that tho SolicitorGoueral had not been .influenced by tho Eoman Catholic Chursh, he had directed an illegal act in the interests of that Church. The pa.mph.let which ha had censored, was not directly connected with the conduct of tho war, and mterferenca , with such political literature was an. vn. ; justifiable oncroacument on rhe right ot , free speech. The pamphlet related only to tho origin of the war, not to the war _, • 1 itself Tho defence that it might lead ! to the prejudice of recruiting was ol> 1 viously a reason elaborated after it was ' knovoi that a. public inquiry was to bo held. Moreover, wheu t£o 'censorship ot 5 Box 912 was directed it was clear that : voluntary recruiting had broken down ■ 1 and the Military Semco Act had been • tho law for four months and a halt. " After Mr. Ostler's address the coin- ' mission was declared closed.