CO129-445 - Public Offices - 1917 — Page 208

Copy.

No. 74

Confidential.

British Embassy,

- betrzna qiriannəɔ

204

18530

Tollyo.

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anuary

osh. 1917.

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Thwo 496725 „trolorloni

BIT,

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In my despatch No. 29 of the 15th. instant and previous correspondence T have written of the censorship enforced by the Japanese Government under Ordinance No. 63, which formed the subject of my des- patch No. 680 of December 16th. last. I had been led

nor

· to believe that a system of open censorship was to

1 dé established under this Ordinance, all corres- pondence in or out of the country being liable to be opened by the censor in order to ensure that it was not sent by or to enemy persons. This was, 1 under- stand, the intention of the Japanese Government; but,

Jei

as the result of a Cabinet Council at which the le- gal members of that body pointed out that it was not legal to do this without an Act of Parliament,

1

in the Lower House of which the Government had prac- třenily no followers, it was decided that such a sin- ple procedure would 'be impossible. It has conse- quently been found necessary to resort to other expedients. Letters to or from enemy aubjects or persons suspected of being enemy subjects have consequently in some cases been detained at the post offices pending evidence of their innocuous nature, furnished by the onening of the suspect missives by their sender or addressee; or, in order to avoid the delay and consequent irritation ocça- Bioned by this form of procedure, the letters have been secretly opened by means of a new and very efficient machine in use for this purpose, being subsequently sent on if of a harmless nature.

It

Fight lonourable,

1.3. Balfour, 0.M., M.P.

etc. etc. atc.