I.—B

1903. NEW ZEALAND.

PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE. (REPORT ON THE PUBLICATION IN THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES IN ITS ISSUES OF THE 5th AND 7th SEPTEMBER, 1903, OF CONFIDENTIAL PAPERS, INCLUDING A BILL DEALING WITH SECONDARY EDUCATION CONFIDENTIALLY BEFORE THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TOGETHER WITH THE MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS, MINUTES OF EVIDENCE, AND APPENDICES; AND ALSO ON THE PUBLICATION IN THE LYTTELTON TIMES OF THE 8th SEPTEMBER OF SIMILAR MATTER.)

Brought up Wednesday, 23rd September, 1903, and ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OP REFERENCE. Extracts from the Journals of the House of Representatives. Wednesday, the 9th Day of September, 1903. Ordered, That a Committee of Privilege be appointed to inquire into and report on the matter of the publication in the New Zealand Times of confidential papers, including a Bill dealing with secondary education, now confidentially before the Select Committee on Education, and which appeared in the New Zealand Times in its issues of the sth and 7th September, which said publication has been declared by the House to be a breach of privilege ; such Committee to have power to call for persons and papers : the Committee to consist of Mr. Speaker, Mr. Millar (Chairman of Committees), Mr. Maasey, Sir W. R. Russell, Hon. Sir W. J. Steward, and the mover.—(Rt. Hon. R. J. Seddon.) Friday, the 11th Day of Septembeb, 1903. Ordered, That three be the quorum of the Privileges Committee. —(Mr. Millar..) Wednesday, the 16th Day of September, 1903. Ordered, That the correspondence between Mr. Speaker and the editor and the publisher of the Lyttelton Times in connection with a breach of the privileges of the House be referred to the Privileges Committee.—(Hon. Sir J. G Ward.)

REPORT.

NEW ZEALAND TIMES. With respect to the order of reference of Wednesday, the 9th September, your Committee have the honour to report that they have inquired into the matter of the publication in the New Zealand Times of the sth and 7th September of certain information contained in confidential documents then before a Select Committee on Education, which was declared by the House to be a breach of privilege, and have examined upon oath the following witnesses, namely : — Mr. J. L. Kelly, Editor, New Zealand Times. Mr. E. Y. Eedward, Clerk to Crown Law Mr. M. E. Bannister, Publisher, New Zealand Officers. Times. Sir E. 0. Gibbes, Assistant Secretary for EducaMr. P. J. Nolan, Chief Reporter, New Zealand tion. Times. Mr. L. Wilkes, Clerk, Education Department. Mr. Emil Schwabe, Eeporter, New Zealand Mr. J. Barr, Eeporter, New Zealand Times. Times. Mr. J. O. Browne, Reporter, New Zealand Times. Mr. J. Mackay, Government Printer. Mr. G. P. Brown, Reporter, New Zealand Times. Mr G. Hogben, Secretary for Education. Mr. E. J. Le Grove, Parliamentary Committee Mr. P. H. C. Pirani, Clerk to Education Com- Reporter. mittee. From the evidence given, your Committee find that the information upon which the articles in the New Zealand Times were based was furnished to that paper by Mr. Emil Schwabe, who is one of its parliamentary reporting staff. In examination this witness was pressed to disclose the source of his information, but refused to do so. In consequence of this refusal, your Committee are unable to inform the House as to the person by whom the information was furnished to Mr. Schwabe, or as to the manner in which he became possessed of it. Your Committee therefore are of opinion that the witness is guilty of contempt, and they recommend that he be fined in the sum of £15; and that in the future, in any similar case, a witness so offending be disqualified from occupying a seat in the Press Gallery of the House. I—l. 8.