The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 1878.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5345, 15 May 1878, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 1878.

An announcement was, as wo have already pointed out, made some time since, apparently with authority, that it was the intention of the present Government to print and publish daily an official bulletin. In it were to be shown to all the people of New Zealand, not only the aspirations of Ministers to promote the greatest good of the greatest number, as these might be poured into the ear of her Majesty’s representative in the Executive Council Chamber, or recorded in minutes upon the_ piles of papers every morning submitted for consideration, but also how that band of political partizans or conspirators, popularly supposed to constitute the Civil Service, discharged their duty of “how not to do it,” to the embarrassment of the Codlins, who are the “true friends,” and the exaltation of the Shorts, who are the natural enemies of the sovereign people. In the absence of a guide which would be so entirely reliable we have necessarily considerable difficulty in arriving at an understanding of the discriminating principle upon which tho favors of those in power are now, in the shape of Government advertisements, showered abundantly upon particular organs of public opinion in the ranks of the Colonial Press, whilst other organs are left unrefreshed by so much as the dew of official patronage and profit. It may be that amongst th edoclripaires of the Cabinet there is a majority who have faith in that, theory of evolution which has been comically defined as the “survival of the stupidest,” and, like conscientious men, take care that their actions shall always be in tho direction of their principles: or, not having such a faith, can it be that Ministers have taken , for their guidance that gospel of impropriety and selfishness embodied in the old Irish proverb, which says “that the priest always christens his own Child first ”? . . “If it were to ram mitres, said Stbbnb long ago, with a consciousness of his own unworthiness, “not one of them “ would fit my head 5” it is with a similar feeling of hopelessness, arising out <pf a sense of our individual demerits, and on behalf entirely of our brethren of the Press, that we now take up this question. Under preceding. Governments

two modes of distributing favors in the shape of official advertisements were established and Maintained, each for a certain space of time. The first was the giving Government advertisements equally to all the public journals which, had attained any standing in the colony,' without reference to political opinion or to party. The second was, after inviting public tenders for the work of advertising, to use. those journals which, by the comparative lowness of lheir rates and the great extent of their circulation, afforded, in the interests of the public, the most economical and best advertising medium. Neither of these courses appears to be how taken. With tire present Government, advertising, like kissing, goes by favor ; as it is asserted that tbo people are now all on one side, those journals only which adopt the “flat-fish” view in politics are regarded as being fitting organs of communication with the masses. Heretofore, we have not ourselves had any reason to complain; official bones, and crumbs from the table of our masters, have been, perhaps contemptuously, thrown to us with tolerable regularity. But of late, one of those birds of = ill omen which are being constantly sent forth of the Ministerial ark, not, however, to seek the olive branch, warned ns' that wo had better “lookout.” Upon doing as directed we discovered that several advertisements regarding contracts for public ; works in this province had been withheld from us. In consequence, a gentleman from our office waited upon the Under-Secretary for Public Works yesterday, humbly to request that the Government would graciously permit us still to share in some of their small mercies. He was informed by Mr. Knowles that he “could not “ have anything unless it was ordered, “ you know, and that the works in question were already sufficiently advertised.”

As we have still a few subscribers, and as we think it our duty to them to take care that they shall not suffer from want of information, on matters which have always a general, and may have on oceacasions particular interest for them, we have devoted a column ,of our space to their use, and in it to-day, under the . head of “advertisements gratis,” will be found the public notifications to which we refer. In doing so we venture to express a hope that we are not infringing copyright or unduly limiting the prerogative right of Ministers to help their friends ; wo are making an unselfish effort to help our own friends and subscribers. We are also probably raising a question which, on the part of the Press and of the public, will receive attention and obtain a satisfactory solution. ;