GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5414, 3 August 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING.

JOURNALISTIC AMENITIES. (From the Wanganui Herald.) .

Our contemporary, after a recuperative spell, has again returned to the congenial employment of abuse and misrepresentation. It now says :—“ Wo never had a very warm side for Mr. Ballance ; and we did not consider his elevation to power was secured by the adaption of the most- honorable menus; but,.were not quite prepared to expect, as one of his first official acts, the withdrawal .from this journal of all advertisements issuing from the Government departments in Wellington, with the view of giving the whole share to his own paper the Herald .” This allegation is false, knowingly aud wilfully made. “Our sense of 'the proprieties will not permit us” to say more, or our sense of justice to say less. AVhy does not our contemporary bo frank, rmd instead of saying that it. “never had a warm side for Mr, Bailance,” give vent to its real feelings of majignaut hate and devourin'"' jealousy. In every reference it makes to that gentleman these feelings are apparent, distorting its judgment, and making its statements vary very much from the straight lines of truth. On this question of advertisements we might explain what wo kn -w of the matter. The Minister fur Public Works, Mr. Mac.andrew, with tho idea of economy, decided to only advertise public works in one paper in each town ; all things being cqu d Government supporters were chosen. We are nob here going to question the expediency of Mr. Macamlrew’s decision. Our own opinion is that liberal advertising is tho most reproductive Jutlay possible in business. All things being equal meant, that where the journal supporting the Government was equal in circulation to any other published in the same town, it should have the preference. As a matter of fact, aud we. challenge our contemporary to deny this, tho journals in which the public works advertisements are now inserted are the best, and most widely circulated journals in each town. Whether in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Auckland, or Wanganui, this rule obtains. Mr. .Macaudrew will, we understand, be prepared to defend his action in Parliament, " As far as wc know this curtailing of. advertising is only in force in the Public Works Department, that being, it is true, the most important as far as advertisements go. No special orders are in force in any other department, and the statu guo m is retained. To charge Mr. Ballance with the withdrawal of Government advertisements from the Chronicle, as one of his first official acts, is a falsehood, contemptuous in its very meanness. The matter has nothing whatever to do with the departments under his control, and the change has been made by one of the Ministers ia his desire to retrench the public expenditure. This explanation is given for the public benefit. Onr contemporary knew perfectly well when it made the charge against the Colonial Treasurer that, it was'raise, but true to its 'natural feelings could not forbear throwing another handful of mud.

(From tho Wanganui Chronicle , July 25 )

The organ of the Colonial Treasurer is very wroth whenever any of* the misdeeds of its Ministerial proprietor are exposed. Bub that notwithstanding we must show to the public what sort of mou have scrambled into power. So ashamed, indeed, is our contemporary of the advertising scandal, that he dare nob say a word.in its defence, but tries to throw the onus of the discreditable business upon Mr. Macaudrew. We arc not very ranch troubled as to which member of tho Ministry originated the shameless idea—suffice it to say, that all.arc concerned iu it, all share in, the profits of the transaction, and all are equally responsible for its continuance. We named Mr. Ballance and the Herald particularly, as a clear case in point, and in order to give, our remarks a local application. The Herald says our allegation 'was “false, knowingly and wilfully made.” Now, what is falsa?. Let the public bo the judge. The facts can ho given in half-a-dozen lines. Before the accession of Mr. Ballance to office, the Government advertisements in Wanganui papers were equally distributed between the Chronicle aud the Herald. For economy’s sake,. advertisements calling for tenders for works involving an expenditure of thousands of pounds, wore formerly inserted only about once a week, but the same rule applied to each paper. Since Mr. Ballance’s advent the new rule has come into force, by which this journal, together with other papers opposed to the presentGovernment, has been proscribed, and the fiat has gone forth that Government advertisements for Wanganui shall be inserted in Mr. Balance's paper only. This accounts for the leftig column of public works notices that so often graces the pages of the Herald. Bub it is now pleaded that Mr. Ballance is in no way responsible -- that, indeed, he is as innocent as an unborn babe of having had any hand in tho transact tion. In fact, it would scorn as if he had only •winked at Mr.’Macandrew, while that astute old gentleman- worked the oracle for his friends. Tho 'p^ ea of economy which is put forth, wdl not hold water. If it were necessary to reduce tho advertising to one insertion cvfjry week, or every fortnight for that matter, the papers could have had turn about, without it costing tho Government an additional shilling. We hardly feel called upon to reply to the silly charge of “ malignant hate and devouring jealousy,” which are said to represent our feelings towards Mr. Ballance. It is a little unfortunate for the lion, gentleman that his factotum hero cannot reason any bettor than the voluble ’parrot which had been taught by its owner to swear and say naughty words with as much fluency and accuracy as any human blackguard. Wo confess that wo are unequal to the occasion, and must beg leave to pass on to the challenge to deny that tho journals in which the public works advertisements are inserted—“whether in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Auckland, or Wanganui,” are the best and most widely circulated in each town.” We join issue at once. Tho statement is notoriously untrue as regards tho very first place mentioned— Dunedin. In that ‘ city tho advertisements are given to the Times - because it supports tho Government through thick and thin—notwithstanding the fact that tho Morning Herald is a much better paper aud claims a larger circulation ; while the Star, which is also out in tho cold, is acknowledged in journalistic circles to have the largest circulation iu. the colony. The Christchurch papers, wo believe, are about equal in circulation, but the Press, which is oil tho proscribed list, is in our opinion the best written paper in New Zealand. What shall we say of Wellington? Ministers start a new paper, in which they arc the principal shareholders, in order to try and run off au old established journal, which is ia opposition, and further, to ensure a circulation for their own venture, actually stoop to what is very little hotter than, subsidising it with Government monoy. In Napier, if wo arc rightly informed, the Telegraph , tho Opposition paper, has tho largest circulation. Auckland might have been loft out of tho question, as our contemporary should have known that both papers iu that city support'the Government. Tho local phase of tho question we must decline to discuss. Our contemporary says that it is the best paper in Wanganui. Well, perhaps it is, Certainly it lias improved amazingly since Mr. Ballance vacated tho editorial chair. Everybody can see that. If its boast about its circulation is equally true, the public will now bo in a position to judge of its value. For ourselves wo avo pleased to bo able to say that our circulation compares well with tho population, is every day increasing, and that our subscribers are genuine.

Tlio Herald's reply. It is not necessary to say mvich in reply to our contemporary. Its fencing with the {main allegation of its first article is in keeping with its shameless character. It made a distinct charge, we proved it to bo false, and it replies “ wo are not very much troubled which member of tho Ministry ” made the change. Wo would add that it does not appear “ much troubled" whether its remarks are true or not. It appears sufficient that they

are ahtUive of one Minister iu particular, and the end is served. Our statement that the journals in the colony now publishing the public works notices arc tho best and most widely circulated still remains iiilact, despite the assertions of our contemporary. This craze of abusing the Ministry seems to become more and more hopeless. When private feelings are imported into the cause, as with our contemporary, the scurrility is increased but the effect is weakened.