LORD RIPON'S TELEGRAM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9546, 30 September 1892, Page 2

LORD RIPON'S TELEGRAM.

(Fboji Our Own Cokrespondent.)

Wellington, September 27. In conversation with Sir John Hall relative to Lord Ripon's telegram to the Governor, Sir John expressed the opinion that its effect would be of a very unfortunate character upon the position of the Legislative Council. He feared that notwithstanding the fact that the Secretary of State's cablegram dealt only with the specific present case submitted, and was not intended to constitute a precedent or a rule to hamper any future action on the part of the Governor, it nevertheless would become such a precedent, and would necessarily influence very seriously the future action oi the Governors of this colony, who would regard it as tantamount to fresh instructions regarding their course of action in case of an application being made for the creation of new Legislative Councillors. I bir John Hall also thought it was a great pity the telegram should have been marked as Confidential," as a message of so momentous a character ought to be a public document, and tc be laid before Parliament. He anticipated that this might yet be done. A « confidential" telegram from the Secretary of State, he remarked, might be disclosed at the discretion of the Governor to whom it was addressed. He might withhold it if he thought fit, on tho grounds ol its confidential nature, but a telegram marked "Secret" could not in an'v circumstances be disclosed by its recipient If the present message were marked as a secret one it, therefore, could not be made public by his Excellency. l J Conversing on the same subject with Mr C J. Johnston, M.L.C., ho remarked that had Lord Ripon s telegram been of such a general and sweeping character as it was at first represented to he its effect would have been to reduce the Governor and the Legislative Council to a mere nothing, with the consequence that both would probably become elective. He anticipated that if tho Government proposed to appoint the 12 now Councillors in such a way as to argue an intention to secure the Council on any particular question the result would probably be to array against the new Councillors practically the whole of the existing Councillors, who would resent such an attempt.