REV. HOWARD ELLIOT'S CHARGES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17067, 21 August 1917, Page 5

REV. HOWARD ELLIOT'S CHARGES.

. (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, August 20. In opening the case for the Pcxstal -Department Mr Gray said the Post Office enjoyed full and complete public confidence. It remained for the Rev. Emott to break down that confidence by making wholesale charges of corruption and breach of duty against officials in Auckland. It appeared that the Rev. Elliott and his friends were moved not so much V a grievance agamst the Post Office and its officials as by a deslire to use the Post Office as a stalking horse in an attempt to snake tho censorship established upon an organisation avowedly aimed at hindering thfl operations of the Roman Catholic Church. It was possible Mr Elliott believed he had a. high and holy mission to combat what he believed to be the errors of the Roman Catholic Church, but such beliefs did not justify ths methods he employed ou the public platform and elsewhere. The base allegations lie had made against the privaio life of the ministers and teachers of the Roman Catholic Church were bound to create ill-will, and the sanm applied to -letters written to trap postal officials. A person who would stoop to such method? was dev.oid of aiy sense of duty he owed to those whom he sought to attack. Mr Elliott's propaganda had created anger,, bitterness and resentment in the community. Sucn utterances came literal!*.- iwithin the war regulation which prohibited the exciting of such possibility and ill-will as j would endanger public safety. One or his allegations—that Roman Catholics were not taking their proper part in the war—was •.unquestionably such as | would arouse bitterness in the heart j of every Roman Catholic who heard of it, considering that a large proportion of the British Army, and almost the whole of the Belgian and French armies, were composed of members of the Catholic Church. Mr Gray claimed that Mr Salmond had completely disposed of the allegation that the censorship of Box 912 had been instigated by Catholic influence. The postal officials were in no way responsible for the operation of that censorship. He would prove that of 2500 circulars posted on July 6th, none was delayed by the censor, because, owing to a mistake, none was submitted to him. The delay must have occurred in. the Poet Office, ana ho was prepared to submit every officer to give evidence regarding it. It. would be proved that only nine envelopes were delivered empty, and only five proved cases of "no delivery at all." Mr W. R. Morris, secertary of the Post Office, staged that the ' Department took no account of the religion of its employees. He did not know or desire to know how many Catholics were in the service. He never heard of friction between Protestants and Catholics in the Department. Asked by Mr Ostler to produce the Solicitor-General's order and correspondence between him and the Department, Mr Morris said he would not do so without specific instructions. Mr. Bishop said he had no authority to order the production of these documents.

Mr Morris said he did not think his attitude inconsistent with his statement that the Post Office did not desire to conceal anything. The question would affect th© censorship, and not the Post Office.

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