The Globe. MONDAY, MARCH 1, 1875.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 226, 1 March 1875, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, MARCH 1, 1875.

The Press of New Zealand, and especially the Canterbury newspapers, no doubt feel exceedingly thankful to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, for the deep interest which that august body takes in the manner in which they manage their business. At their last meeting some valuable time was occupied in a discussion on the manner in which the “ Press Telegraph Agency” is now managed, and its short-comings forcibly dwelt upon. We have no wish to contradict the statements then made ; on the contrary, we can testify from sad experience to the blundering of many of the officers of the agency. Important information is frequently overlooked, and in its place trivial and stupid incidents fully chronicled. In order therefore to keep the public properly informed as to what is going on in the various provinces, we have been forced to secure the services of special correspondents in the provincial towns in the colony, and through their agency we have frequently been enabled to supply our readers with late and reliable information, not furnished by our morning contemporaries, who are content to trust to the “ Press Agency” alone for their entire telegraphic news. But although we are not disposed to contradict the facts brought forward by the Chamber of Commerce, we scarcely see that the consideration of such a question comes within the sphere of that body. With all due respect to the members, we think they are more at home in the discussion of mail communication, harbour accommodation, Customs tariffs, and such questions, than in suggesting a remedy by which the short comings of the Telegraph Agency may be done away with. Of course the G-overnment must be asked to interfere. One member thought “ that the public “ might fairly ask the Government to “ see that the parties sending telegrams “ should transmit only authentic in* “ telligence ; in fact he thought that a “ penalty might fairly be imposed, “ when it could be shown that unre- “ liable intelligence had been trans- “ mitted wilfully, or through culpable “ negligence.” We can scarcely say whether we are more astonished or indignant at reading such an expression of opinion. We are astonished to think that any gentleman in the present day could have entertained such opinions regarding the freedom of the Press in these colonies, and we are indignant at the implied assumption that were the Government to interfere in the management of the “ Press “ Agency,” the newspapers of the colony would quietly submit. The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce seems to propose the establishment of a department of the Government whose duty it would be to examine all telegrams before they are forwarded to the newspapers, and strike out all those passages which in the opinion of the officers are untrue. Were such a department in existence it would no doubt be of wonderful use to the Government on many occasions. Embarrassing truths would be construed with wonderful facility into “ unreliable ” intelligence, and consigned to the safe keeping of the waste paper basket. Having established a right to control the telegraphic department of the newspapers of the colony, it would be difficult to show why the local and leading columns should not be superintended in a similar manner, and the end might be the establishing of a system of press laws, which would be totally subversive of that freedom of opinion which we have come to look upon as our special birthright.