New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4508, 1 September 1875, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1.

When public meetings to consider the abolition question have been held -within reporting distance, fair, sufficiently full, and impartial reports of proceedings have invariably appeared in the columns of the New Zealand Times. Where circumstances only admitted of the results of public meetings being telegraphed, care has b,en taken that these results should be obtained from the most reliable sources. Proper prominence too has been invariably afforded to these matters, as being of large public interest; but in no case has undue weight been attached to any of them, nor has an opinion been expressed concerning them except in those columns devoted to the expression of such opinion. The reports have purported to be, and have always been, merely faithful records of occurrences. The cause for the above remarks has been furnished; first, by the wrong sense in which the importance of these meetings is estimated; secondly, by the bad taste which has characterised the conduct of some whom the results of certain meetings have disappointed ; and lastly, by the impertinence which has prompted one or two people to dictate how meetings should be reported, and to impugn the accuracy of some reports that have been published. In regard to the first of these points, permission may be asked to point out that whilst, no doubt, the Results of public meetings have a certain present sense of importance, they cannot in one way or another bo considered decisively conclusive on either side. As regards the second, it is painful to observe a tendency at times on the part of some who are quite enthusiastic in appealing to the opinion of a particular district, as exemplified in a meeting, to question the fairness of the proceedings should a verdict be given against them. For the last, it is noticeable that the reporters of the Times have been accused of unfairness in not recording their own opinions instead of simply doing what was their duty, recording what came before them. It is upon this last, as a somewhat personal matter, that a little comment may be permitted. The first meeting in the immediate neighborhood of Wellington which declared in favor of immediate abolition was that at the Hutt on Monday evening. A report of that meeting appeared in the New Zealand Times yesterday, and now it is said that the real feeling of the meeting was against immediate abolition ; that the chairman unfairly ruled it otherwise ; and that the Times reporter was neglectful of his duty in not noticing this. Under the circumstances it might be sufficient to say that the meeting expressing no dissatisfaction with its chairman’s ruling, it is not likely that any mistake could have occurred, but it may be further pointed oat as a matter of fact that the Times’ reporter is confident of the general correctness of the chairman’s ruling, and that he states so in another column. He, however, is simply a reporter without political bias, and may be contradicted by some journalist who has to perform all kinds of work, from writing to order and manufacturing opinions down to cooking reports. Such people are not unknown ; servants of all work, literary Sally Brasses. They in the triple capacities of editor, reporter, and embryo politician, attend public meetings, and subsequently furnish reports more valuable as works of fiction than statements of fact, but such is not the case with this journal. It has always been the effort of the New Zealand Times to furnish its reports in accordance with the proper principles that should guide journalism, a strict avoidance of political bias in such affairs. In a report a paper should not know of a friend, and in a leading article, whilst differing in opinion, should recognise merely an opponent in opinion, whose ideas it is fair to combat, but who should be neither misrepresented nor misconstrued.

During yesterday’s business the Colonial Treasurer made a statement which we cannot too highly approve. It was in reply to Mr. Reader Wood, who had pointed out the great discrepancy between the estimate of land revenue for Auckland by the provincial authorities, and the estimate of the Colonial Treasurer in the tables before the House. The surplus of £BO,OOO which Auckland was to have for expenditure on local public works during the present year, Mr. Wood remarked was to come from confiscated lands and treasury bills. Major Atkinson said the estimate from confiscated lands had been made by officers in charge of those lands, without any reference to the abolition proposals, and he had no doubt it would be found correct ; but in any case, should the land fund of a province be insufficient to meet the charges of good government, besides taking up the Treasury bills issued in anticipation of revenue, these must be paid out of Consolidated Revenue. Ministers recognised the duty of providing for the good government of every part of the colony, whether it possessed a land revenue or not. Otherwise it would be impossible to carry on the affairs of such provinces as Westland and Auckland in an efficient manner. This plain statement, will have the effect of disarming opposition in a variety of quarters where it was likely to be encountered. It .is plain, however, that until the provinces are abolished, this result cannot be brought about. The. Public Revenues Act, 1858, for which Mr. Stafford is responsible, bars the way at present to anything approaching an equitable distribution of the revenue of the colony for purposes of administration and government; but the measure now before the General Assembly goes in the direction of amending this grave error, which has been productive of so much evil in time past. Major-Atkinson deserves credit for the frank and manly way in which he stated the intentions of the Government. It is a sign of a healthy: reaction of public feeling when a Minister can be found to stand up in the House of Representatives and state that the Government are

prepared to do justice, without reference to geographical boundaries or political considerations, in the distribution of _the public funds. This is the first occasion, for very many years, that such a declaration has been heard in the General Assembly, and from its very novelty alone, it deserves special mention. We agree with Major Atkinson in thinking that the North Island provinces and Westland will yet possess a considerable land fund ; but whether they do_ or not, the inhabitants of those districts must not be called upon to tax themselves for purposes which are provided for elsewhere out of the proceeds of the public estate. When we come to this point in the discussion no one can have any reasonable doubt of the result. The Government deserve the support of every section in the House and country which wishes to see each portion of the colony prosperous; and we are satisfied that when this fact becomes known in the North, instead of discontent there will be a general expression of satisfaction by the people.