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the enquiry by the Standing Sub-Committee, which was accordingly reassembled on the 26th November, 1912.

Owing to the time which had elapsed since its last meeting most of the members had changed. Colonel Seely succeeded Mr. Churchill as Chairman, and Sir Graham Greene and Mr. Brade, to whose efforts the understanding was chiefly due, were added to the Sub-Committee.

16. It was explained to the Sub-Committee that, though the scheme for unofficial censorship by a Joint Committec, outlined in paragraph 14, was in its infancy, it promised to provide useful results.

Prior to its inception the War Office had conducted an experiment at Southampton with a view to ascertain the probable rate of detrainment and embarkation of a force for oversea operations. As there might have arisen some misconception at the time as to the purpose of the trials the Army Council addressed a letter to the Newspaper Society stating their proposals, and inviting the services of the Society in bringing to the notice of the Press the Council's opinion that it would not be to the public interest that descriptive reports or details of the embarkation should be published. The request was acceded to, und, with one exception of co great importance, nothing was published contrary to the wishes of the Department.

17. Shortly after its formation, the Joint Committee were called upon by the Admiralty and the War Office respectively to obtain the silence of the Press in regard to the acceleration of certain works which were being carried out, in the one case in a Government and a private yard, and in the other by the Ordnance Survey Department. The Joint Committee performed its offices satisfactorily, and the fact that workmen were being employed overtime was, with two exceptions, not announced in the newspapers. Information as to a change in the armament guarding the naval magazines at Chattenden has also been withheld from publication in response to a decision by the Committee.

The

18. These instances show that the Press can to a considerable extent control the publication of this kind of information, and that, when approached with a request for silence, it has co-operated loyally. Its power and good-will, however, can best be taken advantage of through the medium of the Joint Committee. non-official members of this Committee have received a mandate from the associations representing the interests of the newspaper owners of the United Kingdom, and have been empowered by these bodies to decide, in consultation with the War Office and Admiralty representatives, as to what matters should be withheld from publication. The Sub-Committee are informed that the five associations represent every newspaper interest in the United Kingdom, except monthly and weekly publications, magazines, and certain service and technical papers. Steps have, however, been taken to secure the exceptional cases, and the editors of the service papers and of the two principal engineering periodicals have expressed their readiness to accept the scheme of informal censorship evolved by the Joint Committee. There remain, therefore, only certain weekly and monthly publications whose adherence to the agreement will, it is hoped, shortly be secured.

The Joint Committee has a further advantage in that it is in close touch with the Press organizations, and can operate with promptitude. In the case of the trials at Southampton, the Army Council gave notice of their intentions some weeks before- hand; but, on the several occasions on which the offices of the Joint Committee were utilized, a brief action on the part of the Admiralty or War Office representative was sufficient to start the Press machinery.

19. The statement in Appendix II, describing the mechanism of the Joint Committee, has been drawn up at the request of the Sub-Committee, and in Appendix IV will be found details of the discussions with the Press.

Voluntary Agreement and Statutory Control.

20. Although the agreement entered into by the Admiralty and War Office is, in the opinion of the Sub-Committee, of great value and is the only possible arrange- ment at the present time, it has obvious weaknesses and deficiencies.

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