THE WEITZEL CASE

Evening Star, Issue 17763, 10 September 1921, Page 5

THE WEITZEL CASE

COLLEGE STUDENTS EXONERATE!!). CHARGES BASELESS. Mr T. Forsyth, chairman of the Wellington Education Board, has forwarded to the Minister of Education (the Hon. 0. J. Barr) a report of the inquiry held at the Training College against certain students, arising out of their at the Magistrate’s Court when Miss Weitzel was convicted on a charge of circulating literature encouraging violence and lawlessness. Those present at tho inquiry were: The Director of Education (Mr J. Caughley), Mr T. Forsyth (chairman of the board), Mr White (a member of tho board), Mr Stewart (secretary), Mr Gould (vice-prin-cipal of tho Training College), Miss Iletheringtoii (assistant lecturer), and Mr Kennedy (president of the Students’ Association). The report states: “In view of tho fact that full publicity is being given to the charges made against them, the students and stuff had expressed tho desire that a public inquiry be held. Prior to opening the inquiry I read to the officers of the college and the president of the Students’ Association your wire cn September 8, in which you asked that ‘merely a department'll investigation’ be made. The president of the Students’ Association had the position fully explained to him, and was asked to ascertain from tho seventeen students concerned whether they desired the inquiry to bo held in public or otherwise. After consultation they decided in deference to your request and provided a full report of tho investigation was supplied to tho Press, that the inquiry be not public. I agreed to give full publicity to my report. It was decided by mutual consent to confine the investigation to the three points contained in the letter by the Director of _ Education of August 29, which read as follows:—•

“1. A statement from the girl students referred to indicating whether their attendance at court and the tact that they contributed towards the payment of the fine were evidence of their approval and support of Miss Weitzel in the oiience with which she was charged. “2. Whether students in general were aware of the circulation of any of the literature referred to among the students of the college. “5. Wether ther is reason to believe that either at the Training College or during attendance at Victoria College mlluences of the type exerted by Miss Wcitzel are operating in relation to students. The president and officers of the Students’ Association and the seventeen women students who attended the court when Miss Weitzel was convicted were examined and cross-questioned on these points, and after a full inqury l have to report my finding ot the whole charges as follows: THE FINDINGS. 1. The students attended the coyrt merely out of curiosity or personal sympathy with the individual charged, but specifically and individually deny approval or support of -Miss W citzci in the offence of which she was convicted. 2. None of the students were aware of the circulation of any unlawful literature at the Training College or at Victoria College. 5. All of the seventeen students concerned, who are also students of \ ictoria College, stated that, so far as they knew Miss Weitzel never tried to influence any student at either college to ' accept the political and social principles she adopted. Further, absolutely no reference w<is ever made to them, in the manner suggested. Some of the students had never spoken to Miss Weitzel, and until the recent proceedings a number of them were unaware of tne views she holds. . , . , , 4 None of the students had ever been asked, and certainly none had contributed, anything towards the payment of the fine. . I desire to add the following statement, that in my opinion, far too much prominence has been given to the charges made against the students, which, after all, are based solely on an ex parte statement by tho_ police officers, in which fact and illicit interference are strangely mingled; and from evidence which was put forward Ireely and frankly by the students, and subsequently confirmed by officers of the Training College, who were also present during the court proceedings, at is clearly established that the charges are absolutely baseless and devoid of truth. The unnecessary circulation through the Press of such mischievous rumors before the slightest investigation had been made is to bo regretted, as irreparable injury has thus been done to the Training College. The high moral tone and undoubted loyalty of students of the Training College have always been evident to those who visited the college, and its war record is second to none in the Dominion. With the copy of the report is enclosed a report by the vice-principal of the Training College, which is virtually on the same lines, and also emphasises the loyalty of men and women etudents of that institution.