Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 672, 20 May 1867, Page 2

The " Commercial" in our present Summary is imperfect, not being made up to date. This has arisen from an erratic and censurable act of the General Government. Hitherto the Press of Now Zealand has, day by day, upon application to the authorities at the Custom House, been allowed to copy the Customs Iteturns, and thereby enabled to keep their readers posted up jin Commercial matters. The " New Zealand G-oyernment Gazette, " 7tli May, . 1867, contained the following notice : ; — " Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 7th May, 1367. Notice. — Ali -persons in the service of the Government of .New Zealand aro hereby expressly warned not to give information relating to official matters to any one out of the etrict course of official . duty, directly or indireotiy, without the express .sanction of a responsible Minister, and no .officer shall make any communication, -directly or indirectly to the Press, upon any lSjttei l atfysfc-ng .tUa D^-paviiueat in which ; he aarrrsjor thi business or the officers thereof, -Of relating to tiia Public Service?, or to his own o ! licial position or acts, or upon atey political subject connected with Now Zauland, without tko expt ess permission o? authority of such Minister. Evory nolatioa of this regulatioft will bo Tiaitad by dismissal ftorn. tho Public Service or auch o&Hei' penalty &3 the ci?« cumßtanoea o? the case may demand—lS, Wi §ta?< foisl," Wa wwwofcby&ny gfcrefcqKofthdmftgMioa euggoso that tkia utes int€ttd«dto'ftppljf to simply eoinmawjlM fcwt tUa o(BtoiftX« in Se^hiaM HsViioiiteitiiXftflii^a^d the yMi\

the interpretation put upon the notice is the correct one, ifc is a monstrous injustice. We freely acknowledge that Government officials should not divulge the "secrets of the prison house," but every facility for obtainingScoirimercial information the press and the public have a right to demand. We hope they will'unanimously do so. In the Besident Magistrate's Court "on "Saturday, Messrs Oalder, Blacklock & Co. sued Capt. Wilkinson, of 'tho "Fairy Bock," for the sum of £2<L 13s, damage sustained from saltwater to flouishipped to their order at Adelaide in defendant's vessel. Mr Macdonald appeared for plaintiffs, Mr Hr Harvey for defendant. The case for the defence was, that the leakage had been caused by stress of weather on the voyage. It came out in evidence that on _the previous voyage (from Tasmania to Adelaide) the vessel had sustained injury to her upper works, which •were repaired on arrival. The captain had not j thought it necessary, however, to have the vessel surveyed before shipping the flour. The Court gave judgment for plaintiffs, on tho ground that after the damage sustained on the voyage from Tasmania, the captain should have had the vessel surveyed. , -