PRESS AND PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 91, 3 September 1912, Page 5

PRESS AND PARLIAMENT.

NEWSPAPER PROTESTS, iffi. WILLIS PILLORIED. By Cable —Press Association—Copyright. Sydney, September 2. The Telegraph, in a leader referring to a statement by Mr. Willis that the Telegraph hud been ;d judged guilty of contempt, in wilfully misrepresenting what took place in the House, asks by whom the paper was adjudged guilty. "We had no notice," says the leader, " to . a PP ear before any tribunal having jurisdiction in that matter, and as such tribunals do not adjudge people guilty of malicious conduct without hearing their defence, we are at a loss to know how the judgment was arrived at." The Telegraph quotes a pronouncement of Mr. Holman, acting-Premier, at the elose of last session, that the daily papers were eminently fair in reporting events, and left nothing to complain of in the degree of fulness and prominence given. Referring to the charge of commenting on suspension of a member for bad conduct, the Telegraph says: "We do not know what member Mr. Willis refers to. Even if we did dare to suggest a member whom Mr. Willis thought worthy of suspension had done nothing to justify such treatment, we consider we were quite within the rights of a free citizen." The Herald says: "Already Mr. Willis has claimed to exercise powers absolutely in excess of his jurisdiction, but his attempts have been eonSned to members of the House. Mr. Willis now aspires to dictate to the people of New South Wales, and edit all political news and comment. In fact, unless the views of the press happen to coincide with those of the Speaker, the electors are to be kept in ignorance of nhat is going on in Parliament." Melbourne, September 2. The Age says: "Mr. Willis, by excluding a section of the press, has attempted to convert his Parliamentary office into a sort of dictatorship which shall function in the dark and be immune alike from criticism, supervision and reproach. Exclusion of a section oi the press is necessarily the exclusion of a section of the body politic; the general exclusion of the" press is the general exclusion of the people. Mr. Willis fancied he was adroitly punishing a proprietary which offended him, but what he really did was to trample on the rights of that moiety of the population which obtains its political intelligence from the Telegraph." AX OFFICIAL CONFERENCE. Received 2, 11.25 p.m. Sydney, September 2. Mr. McGowen. Mr. Holman and Mr. illis held a lengthv conference. At the conclusion, Mr. McGowen informed the pressmen that he had nothing to say until a Cabinet meeting to-morrow.