DETAILS OF A BILL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 October 1924, Page 9

DETAILS OF A BILL.

v A CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENT. DIVULGENCE BY BOARD CHAIR- ■ man.' :.'■■■ Strong exception has been taken by the Minister of Education to the action of the Auckland Grammar School Board in making public the details of the proposed Education Bill, which the hoard discussed in committee last Wednesday. “I read with astonishment,” said Mi-. Pari-, “the statement made by Professor Thomas, chairman of the board, about the proposed legis. lation. Professor Thomas has betrayed my confidence. “I sent a precis of the proposed Bill to the board, marked ‘strictly confidential,’ so that the board might have an opportunity of considering the provisions in committee, and of giving me their confidential opinion and advice. My main object was to have a friendly preliminary discussion by the board, so as to get as far as possible all reasonable suggestions and criticisms. Then I would introduce the Bill. It seems that after the board had considered the provisions in committee, Professor Thomas deliberately gave to the press the contents of a portion of the Bill, thus putting me wrong with Cabinet and Parliament. The words ‘strictly confidential’ marked on the Bill stared him in the face while he did so “This is not the first occasion that I have had to complain of the unbusinesslike methods of the present chairman and of his unreasonable hostility to the Department.”

M hen the Minister’s statement was read to'Professor Thomas, lie said the hoard acted in all innocence in the matter. It did not know the document was confidential, and if it had known it was confidential nothing would have been given to. the press. The remarks made at the time appeared to be fairly innocent, and tbe board was expressing its views by letter in courteous terms, to which he did not think the Minister would object. The whole thing had apparently been done under a misapprehension, and he did not think any great harm had been caused.