Thursday was a very important day in the history of
the Marconi inquiry. At the close of Wednesday's sitting Mr. Heybourn, a jobber in the Marconi market, refused to disclose certain particulars regarding the placing in England of the American shares. The Committee were left to decide whether they should compel him to answer the questions put to him on this point; On Thursday it was announced that while the minority held that he must answer the questions, the majority had decided that he need not, and an announcement to this effect was made by the Chairman. Lord Robert Cecil, on behalf of the minority, thereupon entered a protest, and declared that the decision would prevent the Committee from carrying out their duty of ascertaining the source of the rumours affecting Ministers. We are most anxious to say nothing which will still further inflame the heated atmosphere of the Committee Room, but we must point out that this action by the majority, like that in regard to the question of the previous knowledge of the American share transactions possessed by two members of the Committee but not dis- closed to their colleagues, is most unfortunate. The decision of the majority made it, of course, quite useless to ask any further questions of Mr. Heybourn, and accordingly he left the witness chair.
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