HOW THE GOVERNMENT ECONOMISES.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 370, 23 April 1866, Page 2

HOW THE GOVERNMENT ECONOMISES.

(From the Wanganui Times, 13th April.) Last month might be seen posted up near the Wanganui Post office window a list of unclaimed letters; also a list of letters detained in consequence of being insufficiently stamped ; and a notice intimating a change in the rate of postage to be charged on letters forwarded to certain parts of the continent of Europe, &c. The unclaimed letter list, unless published in some newspaper circulating in these districts might almost as well be left alone. Parties living in Or near the town invariably call to inquire after their letters but amongst a scattered rural population an advertised list alone could serve the desired purpose. The Government, however, will not allow a postmaster to advertise, but expect that in some instances newspapers will publish such information gratuitously. We publish to-day a post-office notice which should clearly go in as an advertisement, but the Government won’t pay. The plea is that the annual expense for advertising would be very heavy ; and so it would, but what right have the Government to expect that expense to be borne by newspaper proprietors by gratuitously advertising important public notices ? The press of the colony should refuse noticing advertisements which appear in either a General or Provincial Government Gazette until this system of sponging be discontinued. The vast amount of information collected and published by the press is of the greatest possible importance to the Government. Every branch of the public service is under the supervision of the press, and every information short of advertising it is bound to publish ; but we protest against that parsimonious system of conducting public business which leaves the public at the mercy of the press to publish or not as it may see fit. An auctioneer or any other man in business has us good a right to claim gratuitous insertion for his advertisements as the Government has; and were all to do so the press of the colony would soon be wound up. The Government virtually says to press—you must publish this for the information of your readers, and, therefore, we won’t pay you for it. Many other advertisers may say the same, but as the case is now before the public, we wait to hear what the press of the colony will say in reply.