(89)
SEVENTH MEETING.
Meeting held August 26th, 1892.
Present.
Honourable J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, (Registrar General), Chairman.
F. H. MAY, (Acting Colonial Treasurer).
C. P. CHATER.
71
Η ΚΑΙ.
و,
T. H. WHITEHEAD.
Minutes.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD then said :-With regard to that confidential report which the Government refers to, given or drawn up by Inspector STANTON, I think, in refusing to give the Committee the benefit of the information contained therein, the Government are blocking the way to our arriving at a fuller and more accurate decision as to the real position of affairs because there is really no one better qualified to fish out and elicit information and particulars than the Police and a trusted representative like Mr. STANTON. I think that we should have had the benefit of that report even if we had been subjected to treating it as confidential and not allowing it to appear in our proceedings. I think that it might be well to point that out to the Government.
The CHAIRMAN. Of course, we have had the advantage of having Inspector STANTON before us and eliciting all the information we could from him.
Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.-But there may be very much more in the report than we were able to get from him here.
The CHAIRMAN.-We asked Inspector STANTON whether he could give us any direct information, any information which was not second hand and he told us that he could not. That being the case I should say the information given in the report is of the same kind as he gave to us here-second hand information-inquiry into which has given so much trouble and, after all, it has been found that the information is not in accordance with facts. I do not know what the views of the other members are on the subject.
Honourable Ho KAI-Besides that, I think if we have that report, some of us would like to enquire into and cross-examine those persons who have given the information. Now, although we may keep our promise that the report itself should not be published it seems to me that their examination and all the evidence we take in the form of answers to our questions when published will be in itself tantamount to having the report published indirectly.
Honourable C. P. CHATER.-I think, as we have had Inspector STANTON before us and questioned him, the information given to the Government makes very little difference. There is one thing, Mr. Chairman, which I think, before we proceed to the business before us this afternoon, I should like to see-the letter from the Government. It came to me in due course, but very often we cannot read through these formidable documents. I only glanced over it hurriedly, and I do not exactly recollect the terms of the letter, and I should like to refresh my memory by looking at it.
time?
Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.-Would it not be better to finish one point at a