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who will take it in turns to execute the functions of "Clerk-in-Waiting," as described in the letter. (This title will be used in the Admiralty and War Office for this purpose and in this connection only.) Similarly, the method of communication of decisions of the Joint Committee by Mr. Robbins, the Manager of the Press Association, has been settled. Briefly, the procedure is as follows: When a case arises in which either the Admiralty or War Office wish to take the initiative in arranging for the suppression of any item of news, Mr. Robbins will be at once communicated with and the Committee will be assembled. Except in the very rare instances in which the nature of the case does not admit of even an hour's delay, the contemplated action by the department concerned will be held up until the full Committee has been summoned. In the exceptional cases referred to, the official members will settle the matter with auch of the Press Representatives on the Committee as happen to be in Loudon, who, generally speaking, will be Mr. Robbins and Mr. Parke alone. On one recent occasion a decision was agreed to by the two last named, and the other Press Members urged that they ought to have been summoned. It may be explained that, in the minds of the provincial members, there is still a certain amount of jealousy of the position, in this matter, of the London members of the Committee, but as the confidence of the former in Mr. Robbins increases-and he is really an adequate representative of provincial interests, by reason of his position in the Press Association, which is primarily a co-operative undertaking of the provincial papers-there will be the less insistence on the necessity for a meeting of the whole Committee before a decision is arrived at. On the last occasion, when the Press were asked to suppress some informa- tion, the provincial members, though summoned, did not attend, and they accepted the decision agreed to by Sir George Toulmin, Mr. Parke, and Mr. Robbins.

The communication of decisions to the London Press is a simple matter, but a special arrangement has had to be made for the Provincial Press. Owing to the frequency of changes in the editorial offices of provincial papers, and for other reasons it has been thought advisable-so as to avoid delay and minimise risk from violation of secrecy- to communicate with such Editors through the Postmasters of the towns in which the offices are situated, and the General Post Office have agreed to this and have set up the necessary machinery. Some papers are, however, published in towns or districts where the Post Office do not maintain Postmasters, and to Editors of these papers Mr. Robbins will telegraph direct-they are, generally speaking, of small importance.

With a view to ensuring the ready recognition in editorial offices of the official character of messages sent by Mr. Robbins conveying the decisions of the Committee, he has been supplied by the Stationery Office with stationery bearing the title, in print, of the Committee and the official “Royal Arms.”

It is of course to be understood that cases of reference by an Editor to one of the two Departments for permission to publish information which has been tendered to him by a correspondent in the ordinary conduct of the business of the paper will not be referred to and dealt with by the Joint Committee.

(3.)

*t

In the course of the latter discussions in the Committee it has appeared that the Press members have had no title to speak for the monthly and weekly papers and magazines or for the Service journals or technical papers such as The Engineer" and

Engineering.' Attention has accordingly been and is being directed to these.

The risk of injury to public interests being greatest from the Service papers and from the technical papers, these have been dealt with first.

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"

On the occasion of the suppression of the information as to the changes in the armament guarding the magazines at Chattenden a letter was sent by me to certain Service papers informing the Editors of the desire of the authorities for silence, and of the acquiescence of the newspaper Press through the Joint Standing Committee, and asking them to attend a meeting to discuss the desirability of including the Service papers in the agreement being worked by the Committee.

On the 19th December, 1912, a meeting was accordingly held at the Admiralty, when the following were present :---

Sir Graham Greene.

Mr. Brade.

Mr. Robbins.

Lieut.-Colonel Hooper ("Army and Navy Gazette ”). Lieut.-Colonel Davies Sewell (“ Broad Arrow").

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