THE PRESS AND GERMAN TRADE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1332, 3 December 1914, Page 4

THE PRESS AND GERMAN TRADE.

The press of Australia may be held to have done good work, in certain directions, in the exposure of the constitution of certain firms trading there as British when they are in reality German, but their conduct still leaves much to be desired. This is a time when German trade is to be absolutely shut out; and, therefore, it behoves newspapers asking the public to adopt this attitude to see that they themselves are free from all taint of suspicion of doing that which they call on others not to do. No honest, patriotic Australasian paper ought to accept for insertion auy German adveitise ments whatever. So long as advertisements from such sources are published, the public will look askance and attribute dishonourable motives when it notices that in reporting the raiding of a German firm one Melbourne paper carefully refrains from giving the name of the firm, substituting instead the name of the manager; that two others, when an employee of the Australian Metal Company commits suicide, conceal the identity of the employing firm by not mentioning its name and giving a vague address (in one case, a false address), and by speaking of the man as an employee of an individual director ; that the press report of the case in which he was concerned should have suppressed the true name of the German Jew who passed as "Edward Edwards,” and who, despite bis naturalisation as a British subject., carried on a correspondence with Germany in which he manifested the most pronounced pro-German sentiments. Even the biggest newspapers cannot afford to laugh at a belief of this sort on the part of the public, and they will assuredly have to put themselves right with their readers sooner or later by turning out of their columns the advertisement of every class of goods which they know to be directly or Indirectly German. But, if we advocate this action, it is not primarily that the Australian Press may feel itself unmuzzled to deal with the most perfect freedom with the German menace. It is true that we do not want to see it hampered by financial considerations, as it they were politicians hampered by considerations of a sectional vote, and that we would like to see it free from all suspicion of adopting one attitude towards Germans openly and quite another sub rosa ; but we are actuated mainly by the recognition of the fact that, if German trade is to be driven from Australian shores, it is the press who must be mainly instrumental in effecting it. Without advertisement,- German trade would not bold together a twelve-month; and we feel sure that, ouce this fact is pointed out to the great press of Australia, it will recognise its duty and act as it asks the public to act. If it should not do so, it may rely upon it that, sooner or later, the public will call it to a reckoning, and that the Government will take steps to face it in the direction in which it would be well for it to go voluntarily.— Mining Standard, Australia.