The Memo System.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12924, 1 August 1905, Page 3

The Memo System.

STAT-BM'E'NT BY SIR JOHN HAI/Iv. Per Press Association. Christchurch, July 31. Regarding- Sir Joseph Ward's reported statement in the ,1 House as tol the right of menibers to send full- telegraphic "meinos" for domestic : purposes, that it had been in , .existence since 1879, Sir John Hall, whose Ministry assumed office in that year, gave a representative of The Press information as to the practice of (Ministers with resrard to private telegrams r.nd the : "memo" system. He stated it was introduced whilst he was in office, but applied only to official telegrams sent on public business. "Previously the practice had been that Governmewtl telegrams were kept filed at the telegraph office in the same way as ordinary j telegrams sent by the public were kept, but under the "memo" system . the ' telegrams were returned to thei Department 'irom which they emanated and were either destro3 T ed or placed on the Departmental file, as was deemed advisable. One reason for making- the! change . was , that Government telegrams were sometimes of a highly confidential- character, and it was desirable that they should be destroyed and not kept on re : cord. He himself had not, and, so far as he ' knew, none of his) colleagues had, * sent domestic telegrams on the "memo" system.