SPECIAL WIRE QUESTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5493, 4 November 1878, Page 3

SPECIAL WIRE QUESTION.

(From the N. Z. Press News.) The subject uppermost iu the minds «£ Press men throughout the colony, and we are not going too far when we describe it as the subject uppermost in the minds of nil men in these islands who, in more than words, have the “ welfare of the colony at heart," Is that of the conduct of tho Government iu respect to the fi special wire question." That is to say, in respect to its action in granting its three leadmg official organs a monopoly within certain ho°urs of telegraphic communication within the colony. True, the attempt to give the monopoly failed, but that does not alter iu the least the questionable spirit which existed in the will of tho Government, and which was only rendered powerless by the strong voice of public opinion, which manifested itself within and without the walla of Parliament when the conditions of this flagitious contract were published,’ and the audacity of tho Government in this matter became known. The subject has been so well thrashed out that to make a detailed reference to it is needless, but mention may bo made of its most salient points. In the House, Mr. Robert Stout had tho audacity to stand up and attempt to justify this shady transaction ; bub Mr. Stout’s amazing crudity .in matters of theory can only be paralleled by his nbsease of tho sense in matters of practical politics of what is fair between mau and man. From Sir George Grey we ha I expected better; we had thought that illness or onerous duties on his part had caused him to leave too much to his associates in tho Ministry. But he, the patriot who so lately went round the colony preaching the advent of a brighter day and a purer air iu politics, from hia place on the Ministerial benches, commenced by reference to English precedents to which the present transaction had not tho remotest analogy, and with professions of liberality, and expressions of cledre to benefit the Press, attempted to hoodwink the House and tho public by his egotistical balderdash—the force of humbug could be pushed no further. He has been followed up by the New Zealander and the Daily Times, ’ the latter, with its usual and utter disregard for truth, saying there was no monopoly, and that Government had more wires at their service than one. To that, however, may be given in reply the statement extorted from Ministers in the House, that if they granted a special wire to their three most favored friends, the facilities at their disposal would not permit them tq deal likewise with any firm on behalf of the other newspapers of the colony. But what have Government done! They have granted three papers, for £2OOO a year, a service, the expense f which to the colony Dr. Lemon calculates at £IOOB per year, and the earnings of which, at ordinary Press rates, Dr. Lemon says would come to £SOOO per year. No wonder Government felt itself in a corner when Mr. McLean wrung from it its reluctant admissions of the steps it had taken. Mr. McLean for exposing this scandal deserves the thanks of the country, and we are glad to see that acknowledgements have been freely rendered him by every section of tho Press, the noble three alone excepted. But the worst feature of the matter is not the attempt so to subsidise the official organs out of the public revenues. Bad as this is, it is completely eclipsed by the granting of a monopoly, the intention of which was, without a shadow of a doubt, to ruin the Press Agency, to ruin throe of the leading newspapers of the colony, and to put seven or eight other newspapers totally at the mercy of the scheming three. The object is evident. Mr. tout knows, and it is a piece of knowledge that he has aired iu at least one address to a jury, that rival papers are anxious to crush each other. Yet iu this transaction Mr. Stout as, a Minister of the Crown, has not scrupled to use his power in assisting his three chief clacqncrs by an unfair advantage—by an advantage altogether outside of legitimate competition—to crush their rivals. It was the granting of an unfair monopoly, and by no amount of special pleading, even that of Mr. Stout and the New Zealander , can tho transaction be construed as an ordinary trade bargain, and the discussion upon it as tho transformation of an ordinary private grievance into a public wrong. It is no ordinary trade bargain ; it is no ordinary private grievance ; it is essentially a public wrong. While there is only one through wire every newspaper should be placed on an equality in • the use of it ; it is as much the high road of the community as the street we walk upon. First provide every facility for every newspaper, and no one can then complain of special facilities being granted at a special price. But to debar the newspapers of a wire they are already nightly using, and to give a monopoly of it to a favored three at something considerably less than half price, is a robbery of the public funds, and a gross act of injustice which could not be expected even from the Grey Government. It simply means that Government can by three newspapers throttle the independent Press of the Colony, and that their three clacqncrs can so arrange as to have'an immense amount of telegraphing done for themselves for next to nothing, compelling the other morning newspapers not only to pay the “piper" but to sacrifice their independence. The Press of New Zealand has narrowly escaped a great calamity ; it would have been an evil day for this colony, had this transaction gone undiscovered till after the proronation of Parliament. It was reserved for Sir George’s ragged following to think that they could muzzle the newspapers ; actually to endeavor to smother freedom of thought in a free country. In this, of course, they have signally failed, and have brought upon themselves tho righteous indignation of the country. No Ministry with any sens© of justice would dream of doing what they have dared to do—an act utterly despotic, and proceeding from men wanting in the sense of justice. Even posterity is not to bo protected by personal Government involving the sacrifice of present liberties.