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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 940, 22 April 1879, Page 2

We apologise to our readers on account of the non-publication until this evening of a report pf the important proceedings of the Municipal Council >« connection with the Waterworks and the loan iij connection therewith. At the same time, we think that it is the duty of someone else to apologise. We trill not say that that someone else is the Municipal Council or any member thereof, but we are suiprjsed that intimation that the meetings were to be litfti] v-w not forwarded to us iin the usual way, and that thp Surik i Ot.-tgo Times should have forestalled us in i the publication of the proceedings of the | Cumieil which appeared in its issue of i this morning. We are led to enquire—- | H»w di,: It ooeur? 0«r contemporary I ■ may have received i'.n invi::it;»ii to be ; present at the meeting, or it niayluue | been supplied with a report of just as much a3 the Council, or certain persons acting for and in the interests of the Council, cared about the public knowing. Either would be anything but creditable to the Council; and we are inclined to think that when it becomes known to the whole Council that the usual notices that meetings were to be held was not served on the Pres3, or—it having been decided that this should not be done, in order to socuro the strictest secrecy—some member of the Council has given information of the proceedings of such meetings to one paper only, some dissatisaction will be expressed. There is only one way of treating the Press that can be viewed as just to the public, and tha£ is by admitting it to meetings, and trusting implicitly to its judgment and honor not to publish that the pubjir cation of which would be injurious to the interests of the town. Any other treat- | merit of the Press will be viewed by the public with suspicion. Even* act of a body entrusted with public funds should be laid bare to the Press, and the resolving itself into Committee of a public body for no other reason I than to exclude the Press and prevent all criticism of their acts cannot be too Btrongly denounced. The Council i has been given no cause to complain of s the behaviour of the Press towards them. If anything, the Oamaru newspapers h:-.ve been a little too reticent, and will, we think, always know when to speak quite as well, or belter, than the Council, who3e judgment might become biased through circumstances into which they may have drifted.