New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.] MONDAY, JUNE 11, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5059, 11 June 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.] MONDAY, JUNE 11, 1877.

Nothing has served the uses of newspapers more than the telegraph wire ; its utility has grown and grown until at last it has became recognised as the most important factor, perhaps, towards journalistic success. The leading articles of a newspaper may be profound, brilliant, witty, what you will; its local news may be collected with care, and published with completeness ; but all these elements of good fortune are nowadays subsidiary to the procural of "the latest intelligence" from every part of the world with which a newspaper is, or should be, in telegraphic communication. Not that mere enterprise in obtaining information by telegraph will of itself make a newspaper a remunerative business enterprise. The ordinary newspaper work must be kept Tip to the mark. But it is no less true that this ordinary work will not of itself be sufficient, and that every effort must be made to secure earliest information by telegraph. And, after all, the existence of these facts only maintains the real character of a newspaper. Such publications from the first claimed as their specialty that they furnished "news." It was for the purpose of reading " news" that they were bought; it was for disseminating "news" that they were published. The information given by them being of a nature that was required by everybody, the necessary consequences followed. By the publication of opinions or criticism upon passing events, 01 on bygone events made interesting by some current incident which recalled them to memory, the newspaper first became a power for good or evil, as, owing to its leading feature of news, it commanded a larger number of readers- for its other matter than publications merely giving opinion or criticism could obtain. And so with advertisements. The man wanting to sell or wanting to buy an article, whether a product of industry, of brains, or of education, found that the best mode of -securing his purpose was to appeal to those who read a newspaper for news, and who therefore comprehended the bulk of his fellow-creatures who could read. The natural avidity of the public for news has been recently brought home to this colony by the outbreak of hostilities in Europe and Asia which, apart from its inherent interest, excites even further concern from the chances it offers of the Great Powers of Europe being involved in warfare. The keenest interest is taken at present in the smallest items of news from the seat of war, and the result is that in this part of the world, far distant as it is from the actual scone of conflict, no effort is spared to obtain the latest intelligence. The messages which day by day are published, after having been passed over thousands of miles of wire overland and beneath the sea, are read everywhere, and the chances or probabilities which they disclose arc eagerly canvassed. For some time after war was declared botween Russia and Turkey these telegrams were only receivable in New Zealand at an hour corresponding with half-past six p.m. in Sydney. As Sydney forms a terminal link of communication with the outer world, it happened that day after day intelligence arrived in New Zealand of an afternoon which had been published throughout the inhabited parts of Australia that morning. It wa3 in knowledge of these facts that the New Zealand Government and the Cable Company consented to an arrangement by which messages are transmitted from Australia practically up to four o'clock a.m. each day. Of course, the reception of these messages and their subsequent publication in the morning is not accomplished without some trouble; but so far as the New Zealand Times is concerned that trouble has been cheerfully met in consideration of the advantages arising from its expenditure, and as Dr. Lemon, the General Manager of New Zealand Telegraphs, has done all in his power to facilitate the transmission of the messages, we can confidently say that no practical dillieulty, so far a.'J any newspaper is concerned, need attend the publication every morning of the messages. One or two journals would certainly annihilate time and space, and have imperatively demanded that the messages should be forwarded to them by such and such an hour, or they would not be received. This is tantamount to Riiying that the Russian Ambassador at London should be ordered to leave for St. Petersburg at an hour which would permit amnio time for his departure to be telegraphed to New Zealand. The demand is Napoleonic but nonsensical. For ourselves, wo have, by incurring some trouble, never failed to place before our readers telegrams received at a very early hour on the morning of publication. But wo early recognised that by a moro extended uso of tho telegraph wi.o it was possible to reduce that trouble to a minimum. In all tho more important nowspapor offices at Homo and in the Australian colonies tho telegraph wiro is led direct to tho editorial departments, and it is with some feelings of gratification that we are in a position to announco that tho New Zealand Times is tho first paper in this colony to adopt this very obvious method of dispensing with unnecessary dolay in tho transmission and reception of mes-

sages. By an ordinary business arrangement with tho Telegraph Department—an arrangement which we hope soon to see followed in this and other portions of the colony—a telegraph wire has been erected leading directly to the editorial rooms of this paiDer, and by this means a message received so late as 5 o'clock on the morning of publication would be furnished to our readers in the issue of the New Zealand Times for that morning. And when it is remembered that a large number of copies of this journal have to be made up and posted for country readers by C o'clock each morning, wo do not think that any one will accuse us of want of a desire to give the latest possible information.