“PORTONIAN’S” IDEAS ABOUT THE FLAG SHIP.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 795, 9 January 1877, Page 2

“PORTONIAN’S” IDEAS ABOUT THE FLAG SHIP.

lo the Editor of the Glohe. Sir, —I notice a statement in the “ Notes from Lyttelton” contributed to your paper by “ Portonian,” to the effect that the statement of the Lyttelton Times about the way in which people were admitted on board the Rangitikei on New Year’s day, was false. He didn’t put it like that, but bluntly stigmatised it as a “crammer.” Now, I think it a very great pity that people who have the command of the columns of a newspaper don’t take the trouble to ascertain the real state of affairs before they make sweeping assertions in print, where they are necessarily read by many people, who believe what they see there, or who have no means of finding out whether it is true or no. I can bear testimony to the accuracy of the Times report myself, for I noticed many people go on board without a pass. In particular, I was standing near when a large family of eight (I counted eight, but I think there were one or two more than that) went in on one ticket, and I absolutely saw many others pass in without any at all. If “ Portonian” had only taken the trouble to inquire,he must have found out the truth, but, unfortunately, he is like many others, who sneer at what a newspaper says because they think they know better than men who are trained to collect accurate intelligence, or because they fancy they are so superior to common people—like reporters and editors—that they can despise them and pity their ignorance. With regard to another statement about the Times , “Portonian” is again utterly in the wrong ; because the commodore himself acknowledged the truth and justice of that paper’s remarks, and explained how the confusion arose. 1 have a great respect for well conducted reputable journals, and I always feel grieved when I either see them abused without cause, or unwittingly lending themselves to the people who do so, as, pardon me, in this case, sir, I think you have done. Yours, &c., A. H. W.