Importance of papers stressed

Taupo Times, Volume XII, Issue 52, 6 July 1965, Page 1

Importance of papers stressed

The increasing importance of country newspapers in the national life of New Zealanders was remarked upon by the Member of Parliament for Taupo, Mrs Rona Stevenson, at Wairakei on Saturday. She was speaking to the annual conference of the New Zealand Country Newspapers' Association, wThich she opened during the afternoon.

There had been a time when many country newspapers could have been swallowed by the big provincial and metropolitan organs, Mrs Stevenson told delegates to the conference. However, with the expanding availability of suitable machinery and newsprint, together with the desire of the smaller communities to have their own ehannels of news and information the local paper had now assumed its rightful place. "That place is to print and make available to our small towns and oountry areas the every-day happening^ of the locality. This is a service the bigger journals find impossible to cope with," she said.

| "The local paper tells us what our neighbours are doing i(or not doing), what dqgree of success attended the efforts of our football team last Saturday; what was the result of the councifls deliberations at last night's meeting; the activities of our children at school and the host of news items which are meat and drink to the average family • "There is another function of the country newspaper which I think should be regarded as important: On our local bodies — county councils, borough councils, town boards — we have men and women doing a great service to the community. I think the local paper could devote more effort and importance