New Zealand Times. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1875.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4363, 15 March 1875, Page 2

New Zealand Times. MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1875.

“ We wonder who is responsible ” for the blunders which have made the New Zealand Herald the laughing-stock of thecolony for a considerable time past. Some one must have control of that paper, but if so he has evidently taken a long holiday tour, during which the reputation of his journal has suffered grievously. No one now ever thinks of looking for a sober expression of opinion, on political questions, in the Auckland Herald, any more than any one thinks of accepting its wild allegations as statements of fact. What is inconvenient is suppressed, and bold assertion is a substitute for tenth. There is a simplicity about this style of journalism which may have a charm for a certain class of minds, but happily for New Zealand the practice is not common. Hence it frequently happens that in discussing questions of policy, opinions vary according to the additional light which facts, as they become known, throw upon the subject. This the Herald would call inconsistency, or change of opinion. It may be so, but it is an inconsistency that is highly commendable ; —it is an inconsistency that would be more becoming to the Herald than its total disregard of facts and principles if they are not favorable to its own preconceived notions. In such a case, however, fiction does duty for fact; and prejudice serves instead of principle. But not only so, misrepresentation of the most barefaced character is resorted to by our Auckland contemporary, when, by misleading its readers, it thinks it can damage its political opponents. A notable example of this is furnished by its issue of the sth of March, instant. On that occasion, as on many former occasions, the New Zealanu Times was the point of attack, the ultimate design being to damage the Government. To do this it was necessary to resort to falsehood, the disproof of which was contained in another column of the same paper. That this invention was wilfully and designedly resorted to we shall hereafter make clear by a further reference to another part of that identical issue. Meanwhile, to show what reliance may be placed on the New Zealand Herald when treating of political questions, we place its text and comment in juxtaposition. Thus :

Herald, March 5, 1875. Herald, March 5, 1875. [editorial.] [telegram.] We wonder who is re- Christchurch, sponsible for the frequent Thursday, changes of opinion which The Times tins morning find expression in the New says, re the feeling of Zealand Times, which the Ministry against Mr. was started as an organ of Vogel for his contempt;— the present Government. "This silence in England There was at one time is considered- to imply nothing that the Vogci that he has been unableto Ministry proposed, had negotiate loans as favordone or was about to do, ably as the former loans which was not quite the were floated. This, toproper tiling. Then it gether witli many other came to pass that Minis- Indications, forecast a ters wore lectured upon change in the political atthe railway policy. After- mosphere." It proceeds ; wards Ministers were in “ People, are getting aurtho right track again, feited with the political Their policy on every es- romance. They wish to sential was the right settle down quietly to policy Mow it says that agricultural, pastoral, and “people are getting sur- mining pursuits. The Imfeited with the political migration and public romance They wish to works policy is quite settle down quietly to enough for our statesmen agricultural, pastoral, and for the next few yoras, mining pursuits. Immi- without a South bea gration and public works Bubble or herculean task policy is quite enough for of constitution mongerour statesmen for the next mg. few years without a bouth Sea Bubble or herculean task of constitution mon goring." We have always been impressed with a belief that the immigration and public works policy was intended to assist agricultural, pastoral, and mining pursuits, and wo are at present quite unable to perceive what the present Government has done or is doing to prevent these pursuits being followed by whomsoever likes to follow them. With reference to the colony being able to do without a South Sea Bubble which we understand to mean the proposals for a commercial annexation of the Polynesian Islands—why, no journal in the colony was louder In Us praise than the New Zealand Times. The scheme was grand, comprehensive, and was to place New Zealand In the first rank of the colonies. Now it is a bubble I Verily a change has come over the erstwhile Wellington Government organ, the reason for which we shall be told in due time. It is thus that political capital is manufactured by the leading organ of the Opposition a journal, by the way, which was at one time moat pronounced against Provincial Government. But of course no ono is responsible for the frequent changes of opinion of the New Zealand Herald. If that paper had quoted the telegram in its article as the opinion of the Lyttelton Times , which it was, every ono in. Auckland would have understood it; but by attributing it to the New Zealand Times, it had a point and significance of which the Herald has made the utmost. Moreover, there is internal evidence in the paper itself that this misrepresentation was wilful. Tho calculation clearly was that tho trick would escape detection, by tho generality of readers hastily running down tho telegrams, overlooking tho material fact that the telegram in question was dated from Christchurch, and not from Wellington. If there was a shadow of doubt that the

foregoing comments on the Canterbury telegram were written without duo consideration, or from a misapprehension of the facts, it is removed by the evidence of careful perusal, by the editor, of that day’s telegrams. Thus, we find the following telegram in the Herald immediately preceding that from Christchurch :

New Plymouth, Thursday. Mr. Provis. Custom-house Officer, was presented with a testimonial from the importers of the place, who all wished him speedy promotion in the service. He leaves for Auckland to-day. [The Government, we are of opinion, should not permit Custom-house Officers to receive presentations from importers. Ed. N.Z.H.]

This extract is evidence of careful editorial supervision, wholly at variance with the supposition that possibly the editorial comments, quoted above, were written under a misapprehension. But lest there should be any manner of doubt of the deliberate intention of the writer, care was taken to send a specially addressed copy of the Herald of the sth March, to this office, in which the article, to which we have taken exception, was conspicuously circled with red pencil marks, for the information of the New Zealand Times. It was thought, doubtless, that it might have been overlooked in the mass of exchange newspapers which arrive by each mail. This has not happened, however, and we have to thank our contemporary for his personal courtesy in taking care that his elegant criticism on our alleged frequent changes of opinion should not escape our notice. But for this attention we might not have seen his comments which, in all probability, would have “gone the “ rounds” of the Opposition Press without a word of protest against their unfairness. That will hardly happen now. In conclusion, we may say that nothing but a sense of duty induces us to advert to this latest and most flagrant case of misrepresentation by the Herald. We have become so accustomed to find that sort of thing in its columns that we should be rather snrpiacd if a mail arrived without one or more specimens of it. But in this case the misrepresentation extends to the Party with which wo are identified, and therefore we expose it. If, however, our Auckland contemporary would accept a word of friendly advice, which wo tender to him in the best possible spirit, he would save himself a great deal of trouble, and not run the risk of retaliation which, his perverted ability has in this instance brought upon himself. It is this : let him simply adhere to the practice, which he has brought almost to perfection, of adopting the thoughts and labors of his brother journalists. A pair of scissors, a gum pot, and some little judgment in selecting, are alone necessary to make a surprising show of industry and intellectual capacity. The connecting sentences are easily Wniton to complete the editorial patchwork : —often a marvel of ingenuity and versatility without parallel in any other newspaper south of the Equator. Inasmuch as imitation is the sincerest flattery, no one will complain of this practice. It may not be quite defensible on strictly moral grounds, but then the exigencies of daily journalism and barrenness of thought combined, may well bo admitted as a plea in mitigation of censure. It is hazardous, however, to adventure farther than that, because the habit contracted in the practice of this species of journalistic conveyancing, is apt to find expression in original remarks wholly at variance with truth, and these arc likely to provoke censure, and lead to exposure.