CO129-259 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1893 [5-8] — Page 458

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that the Committee as now constituted is within the spirit

lthough within the letter of the Secretary of State's inc-

tructions. The Unorficial Members of Council in their peti-

tion Juked for an enquiry by a boly to be composed "of new-

ber of the community unconnected with the Government,

#t

or

at least a majority of such persons. They asked for an in-

Lependent enquiry. His Excellency in his despatch of the

17th Januarf last, paragraph 17, emphasizes this by quoting

between invertea commas the woras cited above. When the mat-

ter as was referred to in the House of Commons, by Mr. Beith

he asked for the appointment o1 an "independent" commission.

Ioraship's Neither in the House of Commons, nor in His eelteney's ues-

patch of the 21st April, aoes the Secretary of State ini-

cate

any reluctance to the appointment of such a Commission.

Nothing could have been easier than for His Loruship to

have said in express terms that while prepared to grant an

enquiry it could not be granted in the form asked for, and

to have directed in so many words that there should not be

an independent majority. The matter was expressly before

him, and while limiting the number of officials to be placed

upon the Committee he has put no limit on the number of un-

officials. A Committee or two official members,

and three

unofficial, would have been as completely within the words

of Lord Ripon's despatch as they certainly would have been

in my humble opinion, within the spirit of his communication

in reply to the petition addressed to him.

Neither can I agree with His Honour the Chief Jus-

tice that the unofficial element would have all the auvan-

tages