THE N.Z. PRESS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3419, 25 February 1920, Page 2

THE N.Z. PRESS.

.____.__...... ..__,____ ‘ SPEECH BY MR. ML-XSS,E'Y. WELLINGTON, Feb. ‘.13 'l'll.tj' .l.’rm:- }.liistCl' was pl')<.(-nt at the '_]m'in§_{ of the (1l';'ll'li (1-_)l‘.i'J-1'01l(-C at‘ thr Newspaper Propi-i- w; Assoc}-.i~ fit.-n. .l-iv was m.-lcomtagl Hy -‘he Frisii;(l"'l!' cu the .\<sociation, ;‘.'l'~'. P. Selig. i ll": Masso_V said he z":;li.<«:d the Im- ; pC]'till'C{- of the gathr in«,:",-‘I ;ur.>-‘snnon. i'J‘l.<»« 1-“ ass Confcroi-3, of 1909 a‘.ld_ ,ipro\‘rt-ii a very v-11.-'l'>.:- ‘...n.-:.--., in Him (%lil‘iv:i‘rion of "I)‘1!‘.(. l?l1"I'X'i."l.il;l..‘ ill" l.»(lil,\'ed the Nan‘ /.«_-:1|:1x: .1 13”?"-11' ;ists who at-tcmlod that conferoiice, or who subsequently wro-to from the Im~ porial stzmdpoint in their newspapers had boon a factor in providing thn basis of tho fine eifort made by the _Dominion (luring he war. New Zealland prossnioii had not much to 10‘;11'n ifrom thg prossmen of the United iKingdom. He would say in this con- ‘ ncction that he did not. like the idea iof newspaper combinations for politiical purposes‘on lines made familiar I by the Northcliffo l’rcs.s. It has bccfi lthe boast of the men who conitolied itho Northcliffe I’rcss that they could ' mzike unil unniake Govcl'llmon‘.s and in. ifluence the course of political life in Britain. That was not a dc.~.:il'ab'lo i state of atfail's,l2lnd was not good for ltho Empire. It was true ’that. the Nortllclit'fe Press had done some very 3 good work during the war, pal'ficulal'ly during‘ _lis)l(i, but the diX'L‘(‘tiOll of pub- ’ liq. a{'fairS by newspapers was not the iriglit thing‘. Thu cable news service | from Britain to New Z-salami, said Mr

Massey, was quitct good, though Occas.'.ionzlll_v it contained trzicos of “inSpil'aiion.” but news sent Home from New Zonland to Bl'll"lll1 was quite in€L(l.<*qimf\. in quantity and poor in quzility. ()ft<;;: it wzts lnclicrons. Ansll"‘llZl- wns socming a p;l'ozlt deal of pnl:li<3ify in the British press through well oi-gaiiiswl <:li:lnnrl-.<, and C.‘anada 'a.,n:l New Z(_‘{ll‘3ll(l Nwiiioll left out in the cold, and it would be iiocossary if }_n'opol' publicity could not lw ob-l-a§2:od in any oflmr way to al'l'ang:\ fol‘ lh.~ dcspatch to Briiain of a weekly nowsl cablegrain from New Zealand. This news could then be handed. by the High Commissioner in any newspapers that would publish it. There should be no political colour about such messages. and he would prnfer to have if sent by the Press.