The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1903. THE NEW NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 241, 10 November 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1903. THE NEW NEWS.

With the present issue tho Taranaki Daily and Weekly News pass from the company that has owned the papers for some years into the hands of a practical journalist. The event is of sullicient importance to merit a few words by way of introduction and explanation. A few weeks ago negotiations were opened up by Mi' J. H. Clayton, then proprietor of the Stratford Evening Post, ami us a result the Daily News property was placed under offer to that gentleman for one week. Before the expiry of that ; period the Dost had been .disposed of and an understanding arrived at I'orJ.he purchase of fhu News. Then a keen-eyed member of the law discovered that thi! company had no power to sell the paper. This unexpected development naturally caused the would-be proprietor some consternation, seeing that he had disposed of his property for the express ) purpose of acquiring the company's i journals. The solution of the | dilliculty was to place the company '■ in liquidation and trust to the i shareholders to give effect to a preliminary agreement entered into between the directors and the purchaser. There was 'delay in consequence, and some anxiety for one person at least. That anxiety was, however, > educed to a minimum by the exceedingly kind and straightforward treatment the present writer received from Messrs Comiv'tt, Cuter, Bellringer, and the other gentlemen of the company associated with the negotiations throughout, and for which our best thanks are now tendered. Before leaving this part of tlie subject we should like to thank Mr E. 0. Allsworth, the late editor and manager, for the ready assistance lie has given us in the dillicult task of "faking over." We also desire to express our sympathy with those members of the stall' who jhuve lost their positions through the J present change., and we hope it will

hot bo long before they are agalin in (constant emp.oyment. As regards the future, we hope to issue the Daily News in a form that will render it acceptable to the people of Taranaki. It must bo admitted that as the only morning journal in the province; and a representative paper of the capital town, it has no|t fuliilled requirements. It is not for us to go deeply into the why and the wherefore, but it may bo stated that we know enough of the, surrounding circumstances to say that there were difficulties on every hand that militated against the success and development of the papen However, these arc all swept away now. We stand forth to-duy free to conduct this paper as we deem best, untrammelled by the traditions of the past, and the conflicting interests of a large body of shareholders. Our aim is to make the Taranaki Daily Ne»v,s i a credit to New Plymouth and to our ' prosperous and progressive province, i If wo succeed in doing this \Ve shall 1 expect to receive good, honest sup- ' port in return, and given with no .niggardly hand either. A morning ! newspaper is an expensive affair to produce, and cannot do either jus- . tico to itself or credit to the j trict if it has to exist in a halfstarved state. However, this aspect of theposition does not give us 'any anxiety. The people of TafaI naki are notedly of generous disposition, and we belicvo that if this I journal is conducted with fairness J and enterprise it will not be overlooked. We shall always do our best to advance the welfare of the province, and to take an intelligent interest in local affairs. In politics we shall continue a general support oi Mr Scddon's Government, which although far from perfect, has proved itself to be the most enterprising that the colony has had. In the matter of news, wo hope to cater freely for all classes, a,nd our correspondence columns are open to all. There is no need to say more ; it is a bad thing to promiso too much. And so wo will leave it at that, expressing a hope at the same time that we may improve on acquaintance.