THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9493, 24 April 1894, Page 5

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRESS.

THE PUBLICATION OF COLONEL FOX'S LETTER. COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. REPORTERS EXCLUDED FROM GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS. SIR ROBERT STOUT'S OPINION. ! [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION-.] Wellington, Monday. The Government have appointed a com* mission to enquire into the, publication of Colonel Fox's letter, and Mr. O'Hara Smith has been appointed Commissioner. [BY TELEGRAPH.— OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Monday. Some curiosity was awakened here this afternoon by the word " Boycotted" in large characters on the announcement board of the Post. It soon transpired that one of the members of its staff had been refused admission to Government Buildings, or rather that being there he was tola to leave by the acting ehief messenger. This happened on Saturday. It led to a correspondence between the Premier and the editor of the Post which I send to yon in full, that there may be no mistake about the actual position. The editor leads off with the following preface :—No representative of this paper will be permitted to pass the portals of Government Buildings. The first intimation of this sentence of exclusion was during Saturday forenoon, when on one of our reporters entering the building's he was confronted by the acting chief messenger who barred his progress, and stated that he was instructed by Ministers to refuse admission to any representative of the Evening Post. No reason was assigned for this extraordinary proceeding, and on the editor of this journal being informed of what occurred he at once addressed the following note to the Premier— " Hon. R. J. Seddon, Premier. Sir,—l have the honour to ask whether it is a fact that orders had been issned by your authority, or that of the Cabinet, to the j effecb that no representative of this paper is to be permitted to enter the Government Buildings. One of our reporters has just been refused admission. I am loth to believe that such an unprecedented and unjustifiable order has your sanction. Await- j ing the favour of your reply." ! Late in the afternoon the following communication addressed to the editor was received, signed by Mr. T. Hamar, Private Secretary to the Premier : —

"Premier's office, Wellington, New Zealand, 21st April, 1894.—Sir,—In reply to your letter of even date, I am directed by the Hon. Premier to state that if application is made to the chief messenger in Government Buildings you; will probably obtain the information you seek. — am, etc." The editor replied as follows :— '* Hon. R. J. Seddon, Premier. Sir, — I addressed to you to - day a perfectly courteous enquiry under the impression that I might expect from the Premier of the colony the ordinary courtesy which one gentleman has a righb to expect from another. A reply just received from your private secretary referring to a messenger for the information which I respectfully sought from you shows that I was in error. lam not in the habit of seeking from messengers information which I conceive I have a right bo ask from their official superiors, even though the messenger would probably display a better acquaintance with the rules of ordinary politeness than the Premier of the colony appears to possess. I of course aceepb your secretary's curt and evasive reply as an acknowledgement thab you have issued or sanctioned the order to which I referred in my previous communication excluding representatives of this journal from entrance to the Government buildings. I know of nothing to justify such a course on your part towardii the gentlemen on the Evening Posit staff, and if Ministers considered that they had any jusb ground of complaint regarding the conduct of any member or members of my staff in connection with their visits to the Government Buildings, it would scarcely have been too much to expect that the complaint should have been made to me before such an extraordinary edict of exclusion was promulgated or attempted bo be enforced. I certainly, however, do noil) recognise the right of Ministers to arbitrarily exclude from the public offices during ordinary office hours any person who may have business in any of them, and who behaves in an orderly and proper manner while so engaged. Steps will certainly be taken to test your right to do so.I have the honour to be, etc."

This afternooon the following communication addressed to the editor, and signed by Mr. Earner, private secretary, was received : —

"Premier's office, Wellington, New Zealand, 23rd April, 1894. Sir, —1 am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st inst., and to state that the contents have been noted by the Hon. Premier, who sees no reason to alter the decision conveyed to you in my letter of the 21sfc inst. If further proof fa requisite, the tone of your communication under reply fully convinces the Premier that he was right) in the first instance in referring you to the chief messenger, etc." The correspondence is followed by a further statement to the following effect— The Press Association is to suffer with ourselves, for although its representatives are not excluded from the buildings, the Premier has intimated thab the? are nob to receive any more information from the Government." The glamour of an impending battle between the press and the Premier is distributed plentifully over the controversy which is likely to arise out of this correspondence. I have made some enquiries from which ib appears that a representative of the Association going to him on business was told by the Hon Mr. Seddon " that they were to have no more information." The Editor of the Evening Post has taken oho advice of Sir Robert Stout on the decision of the Cabinet refusing admission of the representatives of papers into Government buildings. Sir Robert holds that the Government have no power to prevent any persons from entering the buildings on lawful business, and says thab such refusal would constitute grounds of an action for damages.