BELITTLING COUNTRY NEWS. PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1654, 22 January 1913, Page 8

BELITTLING COUNTRY NEWS. PAPERS.

Sir,—ln your issue of January 16 you published a telegram from your special correspondent at Wnnganui. regarding our newspaper, tho Waverley "Tribune," and the hostility displayed by Mr. G.'V. Pearce, as chairman of tho Patea County Council, against our application for a share of the council's advertising. Your correspondent's paragraph concludes: "The discussion on the subject was the outcome of the new Waverley paper's application for a share of the council's advertising, which the majority of members evidently endorsed, but which Mr. Pearce's views turned down." The chairman's' specious argument was as follows:—"Some of the country papers were started to get the roiinty ndvertising,_ Eltham, Mnnaia, and Opunake being cases in point, and though, the ratepayers had opposed it, the movement was successful because of the presence of a journalist in tho Legislative Council." A number of tho councillors, in sunportnif the application of the "Tribune," stated that Mr. Pearco was evidently adopting tho tactics of tho late Government towards Tub Dominion, in declining to givo it advertising, and was out to punish it for its political opinions. Thoro is probably some truth in the statement, but there -ire other reasons. For the present, the chnirman_ of tho Patea county enjoys a brief ■ triumph— that of might over.right. But ho will discover, ero Ion?, that his victory of the hour is of the Cadmean order, and promises to provo "dead sen fruit" to him. Things are not yet ripe to show whether lie was acting as a true patriot. Tho voico of the country press nf this country has not the articulate potency of Now Zealand's city' press—the latter is not equal to thot'of the great London dailies —but the country journals nf this Dominion possess undeniable power in proportion to the right and nroner use they make of it. ■ AVe will not disabuse that enjoyed by our daily extending influence.—l am. etc.. A. S. ITAVELOCK GItKEN, Manager AVaverley "Tribune," Warorleji January 17i