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Enclosure J
236
Hongkong Daily Press Office, Ltd.
Hongkong, 26th January, 1915,
The Hon: The Colonial Secretary,
Hongkong.
10002
23 MAR 15
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Dear Sir,
Mr. Hale has conveyed to me your assurance that the
incident which arose in connection with the publication, in our
issue of the 19th instant, of a letter criticising the rate of
payment to the Censors may now be considered as closed.
Thile, however, this may be regarded as renoving any
indignity which the summons to appear before the Provost-Marshal
was intended to convey, it still leaves unanswered the important
question raised upon that occasion as to the position of the
Press in the present crisis. The Provost-Marshal sought to
establish the principle that we were now "followers of the
General" and, as such, were liable, like a soldier, to be
punished for any disobedience of ordera. The opinion was
further expressed that newspapers must not venture to publish
anything of which the civil and military authorities might
disapprove, though it is only fair to add that, when invited
to put that in writing, the Provost-Marshal replied that he
would prefer to consult the General first.
You will realise, as we pointed out at the time, that
such a serious encroachment upon the liberty of the Press as
this implied could not be accepted without question, and that
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