MUZZLING THE PRESS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2715, 9 March 1916, Page 4

MUZZLING THE PRESS

V QUESTION IN NEW SOUTH WALES. The New South Wales Premier has for some time past been considering the matter of taking steps to prohibit tho publication of reports of which tho promoters have no >]esirc to ttake public (says tie "S>dney Daily Telegraph"). Though it is not known just what lines Mr., [-.Lclraaii proposes to follow when dealing Willi tiie trouble, ho has gone so far as to intimate tlivt ho intends "deling with the subject 1 ' by legislation. It was stated at ilia m'satin,; ot the P.L.L. executive on Friday night that if there was no place where discussion Mould be carried on in private tile political life of tho country would come to a standstill. Mr. Holman concurs in this view, and he informed tho executive that lie would do something in the direction of preventing reports of matters which thoso directly concerned had no wish to see reported. • A number of Labour leaders have lately complained of the leakage of information respecting meetings which it was intended should have been conducted in private, and from a number of quarters tho Premier has been urged to take action sufficiently drastic to prevent a repetition. The Premier says tliat lie intends to put down key-holo listening and other methods which it is alleged some pressmen resort to. The meetings of tho Labour Caucus and tho P.L.L. executive are, in the opinion of tho leaders, just as much entitled to bo kept secret and out of the Press as are meetings of bank directors.