The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 4, 1910. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 874, 4 August 1910, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 4, 1910. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Our Palmerston N. evening contemporary states that at a Uorough Council meeting held there on Wednesday evening, the Council, acting on the suggestion of the Mayor, had decided to go into committee on some subject, but before the matter was mentioned a Councillor got up and, looking over to the press table, said that some of the Council’s business had at times got out, and on such an occasion as the present he thought it only right that the press should be asked to retire. Our contemporary adds that the reflection upon the honour of the pressmen present is keenly resented, and it has yet to learn that the confidence thus reposed in them has been abused, or that there is any justification for the course taken. We agree with our contemporary that a slur has been cast on the press- No representative of any reputable journal in this country would divulge a hint either by word ot mouth or through the columns of the paper he represents, of any business or discussion which takes place in committee. How often have the heads of local governing bodies asked press representatives not to publish certain business even when not in committee and that confidence, so far as our experience goes, has not been violated. Members of local bodies know too well how often they could be hoisted for public ridicule if pressmen were so degenerate as some people would seem to believe them to be. It will be a poor look-out for local bodies when they lose confidence in the press. We are pleased to say that we only know of one similar case to that at Palmerston, when for personal reasons a pressman was asked to leave the room by the chairman.

Our Palmerston morning contemporary, commenting on the above says : —“ We think that where a local body has matter to deal with in committee it should do so at a special meeting or at the end of its ordinary meeting. There are occasions, ot course, when local bodies are wise to “go into committee ” but the fewer of these there are the better in the public interest and the step of requesting the reporters to retire as well as asking them not to report is most unusual.’'