CENSORSHIP ENQUIRY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 20, 17 August 1917, Page 2

CENSORSHIP ENQUIRY.

ALLEGED MAIL TAMPERING. Per Press Association. Auckland, August 7. The postal inquiry was resumed thL morning. Mr Ostler, in opening tin ca.se for the Rev. 'Elliott, .-aid h ■ would prove linn letters addressed to Box 912 were tampered with in the interests of the Roman Catholic Church. He commented that the. c. ‘was no similar censorship over the ■‘Tablet” going through the post, hough that paper ' had contained statements which he regarded as almost seditions. There was no statute or order stating that the Imperial Government had established a censorship over correspondence in New Zealand, so that the censorship mns be under the control of the Minis ■ of Defence. He contended that ;hough the Empire was at war we vim still under a constitutional go.wnment, and the censors had no right id interfere wiin correspondence that lid not interfere with the militar. matters. Henry Billy, secretary of the Protestant Political Association, gave evidence that he posted on Friday, July fi, at a suburban post office, circular;to a number of clergymen. That pcs office was cleared up to 11.20 p.ui He was positive that none of the en vc.opes were empty. In all, there .veto posted at the same suburban ol ‘ice 2000 letters, and ho had receive* 'omplaiut-s that that number of e velopes were delivered empty. Cros:

examined, he said he would not b. surprised to hear that some of tin letters were returned by letter-can io indorsed ‘‘not known.” Kric Keyword) gave corroborali, .evidence. Throe clergymen stated in evidence hat the envelopes in question wer mt delivered to them til] Tuesday. John Lowe stated that he received by post an empty envelope. He made enquiries at Devonport post office, and was shown a number of similar envelopes, all of which were full.