Untitled

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4460, 6 July 1875, Page 2

Ourt esteemed fellow-colonist, Mr. Samuel Revans, sends us the following notes on the use of the New Zealand Hansard: —"The Hansard question seriously concerns the political education of the people, and the unification of the colony. Is it for their benefit, or merely as a record ? For the former, it is nearly useless ; —occasionally a speaker may quote from it. Fo." the latter, somewhat useful perhaps. The people's information and the record might be combined; —first issued through the Press, then collected for preservation, so far as the issue is concerned. This course was pursued in England, but the alterations, called corrections by members, used to be so great as to make it a record of the intention rather than the statements. At Washington, if I remember correctly, there is no Hansard, but the publication is through one or more authorised newspapers. Better have two authorised papers, Government and Opposition, than the present arrangement. It is a people's question, and could it be brought before the people, Hansard's career, I suspect, would soon terminate, if its existence must depend upon the people receiving little of the debates. A paper, or papers, that really circulated throughout the colony is, and are, most to be desired ; and a specialty must be provided to bring this about, and I know no better specialty."

The Otago Daily Times "own correspondent" at Wellington is at it again. In a recent issue of that journal we find a telegram from him : "The Age's report, re Sir J. Vogel's return, finds general credence." We have on more than one occasion noticed with admiration this gentleman's progress in the art of falsehood. As usual, his latest effort is beyond his former works. He rises stage by stage. Beginning by inventing untruths, he improved his style into plagiarising them. Now he makes other people responsible for the inventions of himself and his fellows. His position in the social scale having its highest point in an hotel bar, and not being limited as to its lowest, he telegraphs for the community at largo. The opinion he might with justice claim to represent being that of a gutter club, he steps beyond the circle of his social knowledge, and favors a tolerably limited circle in Otago with the public opinion of Wellington. To add that in doing so he disregards truth, would be a superfluous tribute to his talents, his reputation in this way being so fully established as not to need notice. We have, however, a suggestion to make to him, namely, that in future he should, when sending communications of any kind, affix to them the seal of that society of which he is a member. Let him stamp them with the bottom of a pint pot. There will then be a trade mark for genius such as he possesses.