Untitled

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 84, 31 July 1878, Page 2

There is scarcely a journal m the Colony which has not had occasion afc some time or other to refer to the manner m which the Press Agency is conducted. We do not know whether it is that our treatment by that_ enlightened company is something different from others, or that our contemporaries are more forbearing than we, but certainly the last straw has broken the back of our patience, and we are compelled to add our public testimony to the systematic blundering and inefficiency which characterises its workings. As a rule wo have striven to fill our columns with local news, and so well have we succeeded that unless it be for important general intelligence, we do not care to make room. Although we are quite willing to contribute our s\ibsidy to the Press Agency, we do not feel ourselves bound to publish all the rubbish which its correspondents supply, and consequently have repeatedly given instructiens that when there is no news to send, it is not necessary to manufacture it. Some few weeks ago we received about eight hundred words, being a long extract from the proposed Licensing Bill. As we would not m any case occupy our space with it, we c msigned it unpublished to the waste-paper basket ; nevertheless we had to pay a good round sum to the Telegraph Department, A few issues afterwards, we received another* seven or eight hundred message, commencing with " the following tire additional items of the Licensing Bill," which, it is needless to say, shared the fate of its predecessor. But that is not the worst. Since the daily communication with Wellington has been opened, we are m receipt of; the morning papers by six oYI >ek, yet it is the usual thing to find that the English news which we had p r ised at tea-time, wired to us as soini'lhing fresh two hours later. Seeing thai iv

subsidising the Agency we have lulL liberty to extract all its telegrams, we cannot see why wo should be called upon to pay ouo ponrvy for each word forwarded through tho gross negligence of its servants Certainly, on one occasion, when we wrote m strong terms, the money was refunded, but we 'find that instead of more care bemg exercised since then, scarcely an issue passes without a repetition of the same thing. We make the matter public, m tho hopo that some little care and attention will be paid to news collated for country journals, otherwise we will be compelled to sever ourselves from a compact which saddles us with expense, without being of any earthly use.