MYSTERIOUS MEMORANDUM

Evening Post, Volume xc, Issue 79, 1 October 1915, Page 8

MYSTERIOUS MEMORANDUM

1 TO TUB EDITOR. Sir,'— Questioned by Mp. Wilford on Wednesday as to whether he would lay before the House the report of the Advisory Coninnttee of four editors (appointed by the Government to advise it as to the appointment of a war correspondent), the Prime Minister referred to iris previous statement, said that the substance of the report was already on record in Hansard, and that "as far as he could recollect 1 ' there- was nothing in it that had not been comnmnicated to ■Parliament. Now, anyone who cares to look up Hansard No. 17, page 606, can see for himself the obvious untruth of this statement by Mr. Massey. Ido Sot' want to consume space by quoting, ■hut briefly what Mr. Massey does in -•Hansard is to quote a report (cleverly ■worded by one of the legal members of tUe Cabinet) upon the Committee's re•part. This report upon a report states ■that its writer^ (Sir Francis Bell) finally asked the Advisory Committee if it was iprepared to express a preference between the two highest-placed candidates. Evidently the Committee did so, for Sir Francis Bell reports that its members "the memorandum' on telegraph form attached." Up to that stage Mr. 'Slassey quotes Sir Francis Bell's report apparently straightforwardly, but—he omits the "attached" memorandum which ' is -the sum and substance of the whole thing.' Yet he has the, assurance to tell the House on Wednesday that there was nothing that had not been communicated to Parliament. This mysterious memorandum dealing with the Advisory Committee's preference as between the two final candidates has not been published, and (as long as Mr. Massey can continue, however clumsily, his policy of, evasion) it never will be. Mr. Massey's statement on Wednesday is entirely opposed to fact and is contrary to his own statement in Hansard on page 606. — I am, etc SPOILS TO THE VICTORS.