THE PRESS ASSOCIATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81873, 25 October 1906, Page 4

THE PRESS ASSOCIATION.

PUBLIC PETITIONS COMMITTEE'S REPORT. MEMBERS AIR THEIR SPLEEN. Per Press Association. WWliiißion, Ortolx'r 23. In t.H* L n s aiicruoon, Mr i'tiudo, Chairman of the Public i'eti'i( .1- CoiiMintt ropoi j'.i t!;a. h apP .iiL'd 11' that i.-.c i'u'»s Ass.>cia- > "1) was a <-■!<>-■• coiprtatio,), ; in ;i ic-(."irnv-'.-d •.! .nal its m.ihods be refer red to a commi-ice of the Houic tor investigation. Mr jcnu.ngo supported tlte Com miuce. Jit E'l said tit a meeting a; Kaiapo by the I aniiot - Union a uas pas-i'd in favor of the Land B !:. but tlui. had neicr bi-ca acaid of, i;u.

.'magonis.ic nwutions were telegraphed far and wide. ' Mr Mas ■:■/ agreed ihat the met'ioch of the As«oci;itii n should be enquiied in.o. Very biassed and misleading accounts were telegraphed at times fiom various towns.

The l'rem er followed in the same •train, but lie thought a: the -urne time that the managers of the Assoeiation found great difficulty in getting capable men in sufficient number for the large quantity of the work. Mr Manchr complained of the "lot or rubbish" published. Mr Elatman -aid what was rubbish ; n one iplace w|is freo,ueijt»y much liked in another.

Mr T. McK.nzi- thought Hansard too expensive in the face of the newspaper service.

Mr Alison attributed Mr Ell's ideal ■■) his bias against die Farmers' Un : cn.

Mr Remington thought so far as 'lis local experience went it was a case of the dislike of the larger pro-

< neial pape, s to the opposition of me •miller papers. Mr Hogg was against the rinse, eorlora.ion and eulogised llansaid. Mr Malcolm denied that the Press As "C'ation was favored in any way by oie Stale or a source of pjiblir cx-pi-nsi". Hi: attributed occasional fail •lies of reporting to the impossibility f coveting all the distance- required u certain times.

Mr Poole complained of ihc Conservative b*as of certain papers and •nembers of the Association, and of heir high-handed refusal to give customary redress. Mr \V. Eraser was amused at the bias shown by the various members igainst various papers, and exhorted he House ;o wait till next year for the .rue facts of winch it was most cerainly ignorant at present, when t might come to some useful conclusion.

Mr Thompson discussed the ethics if newspaper correspondence and minted out that all newspapers try ilways to publish everything. Mr Gray agreed with Mr Eraser, )oint : ng out that hon. members had 'a'ken t'he iipportunity to get cvl:n vith the newspapers they di-liked. Mr Kucldo, replying, said there was to evidence before the Committee ~0 : ustify any other conclusion. The report was ordered to lie on he table.