CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1916, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

•PASSING OF A FAMOUS PAPER. The news, cables last week, that Ilia London Standard had ceased publication, k of much interest, i.-ast month the copyright and plant of the paper were offered for sale by auction, but the highest bid was only £IO,OOO, and the property was withdrawn. The Standard, which was established in 1827 as an evening paper, in the Tory interest, was first brought out as a morning journal in 1857. it very soon became a pronounced success, and began to attract many brilliant writers. Lord Robert Cecil, destined to become illustrious as the Marquis of Salisbury, was an occasional contributor to the leading columns. In the seventies, Sir John Gorst assisted in editing the journal. Among others who wrote for the Standard were ilr. Alfred Austin, Sir. T. IT. S. liscott, Jliss Frances Power Cobbe and Professor Palmer. Foremost among' the war correspondents at different periods were Mr. G. A. Henty, Mr. John A. Cameron (who was killed, at Abu Ivlea) and Mr. William Maxwell, who was sent to Australia on the occasion of the opening of the Commonwealth Parliament. In 1904 the Standard, which at that time was opposing the tariff reform movement within the Unionist party, was sold to Mr. C. Arthur Pearson (-proprietor of the Daily F.xpress), who war, chairman of the Tariff Reform League: and considerable changes were .made in the paper. . Air. 11. A. (livynne became editor until 11)11. when lie was appointed to the Morning Post in a similar capacity. In 1010 Mr. Pearson, owing to ill-health, transferred his interests in the Standard proprietary company,'which he had formed, to Mr. Davison Dalziel (Unionist M.P. for the Brixton division of Lambeth), who is founder of Dalziel's Xews Agency, A recent innovation in the Standard was a weekly supplement devoted to news from the overseas dominions. From 104-5 Shoe lane, the publishing house of the Standard, there also appears the Evening Standard and St. James' Gazette, and the Daily Call, a halfpenny illustrated paper, established two months after the war broke out.