BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1949 THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 65, 18 November 1949, Page 4

BAY OF PLENTY BEACON Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1949 THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN

It is perhaps wise at this\stage to let the general public know just what the Beacon’s position is with regard to the election campaign locally. First, we let it be known to both party organisations that we had no intention of favouring one candidate or the other so far as news space was concerned. But we do consider we have the right to comment editorially on the policy, political actions or statements of either party or candidate. In line with a practice followed by many larger, newspapers than this one, we offered each candidate through the local party committees, the right to have one of his addresses, which he himself could chopse, reported fully up to a limit of 2\ columns, and as nearly as possible in his own words. Both have taken advantage of that offer. We explained that we had neither the staff nor the transport available to have reporters present at all meetings, and asked both committees to co-operate with us in getting accurate reports of all meetings into print as soon as possible /after they were held. Meetings we were able to attend, we agreed to treat according to their news value by using any new angles not previously published. That policy nas been strictly adhered to, and we are glad to say that we have not yet been accused of being unfair to either candidate so far as news coverage is concerned. We have been accused, possibly with some justice, of minor inaccuracies in some of the contributed reports. It is only fair to explain that these reports are sent in by well-meaning people whose help we appreciate, but whose limitations we fully understand. We hope and believe that none of their reports has been intended to • mislead either us or the public. In any event, we are satisfied that if the enthusiasm of our amateur helpers on both sides does lead to some mistakes their own organisations will see to it those errors are corrected and not repeated. ' We want supporters of both parties to understand that equal space is available to each side. It is our earnest desire that nil angles of the election issues should be fully and competently discussed, so that well-informed electors will be gble to go to the polling booths bnd vote intelligently. Our correspondence columns are wide open to electors’ views, but, because space is at a premium just now, we would appreciate their paying what they have to say in as few words as possible. ? As we have said before, we consider it the duty •of all electors to study with care the policies of the rival parties dnd, in their own electorates, the qualifications of the rival candidates, before making their decision. To vote the way Grandpa did without any intelligent consideration of the issues at stake is one of the surest ways to wreck the structure of any democracy, which must depend for its stability on the sense of responsibility displayed .by its citizens on polling days. 4To allow blind prejudices to sway reason, to refuse to give one’s political opponents credit for sincerity and honesty of purpose, to refuse to weigh the evidence —all are steps along the dangerous sheep-track to dictatorship.