THE LAST DODGE.

Evening Star, Issue 2973, 29 August 1872, Page 4

THE LAST DODGE.

Every dodge that it was possible for an Opposition determined by means, foul or fair, to cast odium on the occupants of the Treasury Benches, to which such longing eyes are now cast, has been seized this session ; and a favorite mode of attacS. has been to call tor reruins upon subjects to which public attention has lately been directed, as instances of Ministerial management, The slrv'iigt st card in the Opposition pack, and which it was expected to turn out a trump, was directed to what lias been called the Government patronage of newspapers. The recent exponi in Victoria—the Duffy Administration’s connection with the Time.* and Minca —doubtless led to this proceedingand it is no stre'.ch of the imagination to suppose that those who were at the bottom of it hoped for the results which attended that matter. "W e have before us a return moved for by Mr A. 8. Collins— member for Collingwood— of the amounts paid for advertisements and printing by t overnuient to the newspapers in the ( olony during the financial year IS7I-2. JNiow we have heard so much of late of the “ bribery and corruption practised tiiis way oy tiie Government that, on perusing it, we expected to find that the Ministerial journals hud been most Jiborady subsidized—for the reward should be liberal that justifies the change of bribery being brought against the donorwhile those papers, whose honesty of purpose is so largely extolled, and only excelled by the purity of the language they use when discussing Ministerial measures and policy—termed Opposition journals had been most scrupulously left out iu the cold.

What are the facts ? Shortly stated, that the greatest impartiality has been observed and that the principal object of the Govern’ meat has been to obtain the fullest publicity being given to their uotxiications, in a legitimate manner and as cheaply as possible. The last-mentioned remark is also applicable to Government printing distributed amongst the newspapers. And we have no hesitation in saying that every impartial reader will on going over the list with us, arrive at the same conclusion. To prove that undue favoritism- we say undue, because it is understood that a Government always patronises to some exteut the newspapers that support it—has been shown in any case certain tilings must be established. That more than one newspaper exists in a town ; that the pu dication of advertisements in any one journal to a greater extent than in the other lias not the effect of greater publicity being given to them, by reason of that select, d being the best procurable advertising mediuiu ; and that the prices paid are fair and reasonable. In framing the present indictment against the Government, the Opposition have made no charge of unfair prices being paid ; so that we have only to examine the other two grounds, Iq doing so we will go through the list, as far as it deals with the principal newspapers in the Colony. In Auckland city there are two morning journals, the Herald (Opposition), and the Southern Cross (owned by Mi Vogel), ihe first mentioned was paid LI9G for advertisements and LlB9 for printing, while the Cross' advertising account came to LI 50, audits printing bill to LGO. The Wellington Independent (Ministerial) received L 341 for advertisements, and L 390 for printing; while the Evening PW-the most rabid of Opposition journals—secured L 144 for advertising, and L2G3 for printing. The Nawkes Bay Herald (Ministerial) is'a large morning sheet, with a large circulation iu town and country, and the Telegraph (Opposition) is an evening paper with a lesser circulation. The Herald got J. 104 for advertisements and L3O for printing; the the Ted-graph, Lsl. The Wanganui //Vm d (Opposition;, is nearly as rabid as the Pod, yet it received L2J2 for advertisement and L2B for printing, to the Chroni- ( civ's (Ministerial), LSG for advertisement?. The He!son Colonist is publisl ed tri-weekly, and is the leading paper of that Province! The Examiner (Opposition) is weekly, and has less cndilation. Ihe hxe.im.iner received L 53 for advertisements ; the Colonist, L 130; but the latter obtained L 352 for printing.' ihe Lyttelton Limes (Ministerial) obtained L 292 for advertisements, and L 122 for printing ; the Press (Opposition), L 234 for advertisiog, and L 49 for priming. The Trmaru IJerahl (Opposition) L 57 18s, and the (hire tie (Ministerial) L 9, for advertisements; ‘trip West Coast Times (Opposition), L 22 9; Grey Emr Argus, L 287 j houl/detud Times (>imisterial), L 5 2; News (Opposition) LGB, for advertisements. We have left the Ounedin papers for the last; and here, despite the continued and persistent manner m which the Dallg Times has tried to persuade the public to the contrary, we find that our contemporary hj as been patronised to an extent beyond which his limited circulation entitles him. Why, the Star circulates two copies to every one of the Daily Times in Dunedin, and yet we rind that journsi obtained L 516 for advertising andLs6 f of printing, while the Stars account only'comes to Li4S— L3SI for advertisements, iuoludiu" the whole oi; the Land Transfer advertise” meats, which, as wo have before explained, were a pure matter of business, aud LG7 for printing.

Our readers have the plain facts before them, aud are in a position to say how far they warrant the coo elusion we have arrived at—that the Government have been exceedingly impartial in their disposition of their advertisements.