The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1832. MONOPOLISTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 9419, 20 June 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1832. MONOPOLISTS.

We have frequently pointed out the dire necessity which exists m this colony for protecting certain kinds of industry, but we almost stand alone in our advocacy of protection. Free trade is the panacea of almost all other newspapers " for all the ills that flesh is heir to." They can write volumes en free trade, but it is an extraordinary fact that these very papers, or more strictly speaking their proprietors, are the most shameless monopolists and protectionists, so far as their own business is concerned, that ever disgraced a civilised country. A few years ago a few of the leading papers leagued together and obtained the use of a special wire from the Grey Government. This resulted in the old Press Agency being broken up, and the new Press Association coming into existence. The way they work is this : —Every newspaper pays so much per annum towards the expenses of the manager's office at Wellington, and supplies the news of its own locality to all the papers belonging to the Association. For instance, one of the staff of the Timaru Herald must telegraph the local news to all the other papers, and all the other papers telegraph their own local news to the Timaru Herald. Thus there is in existence a newspaper proprietors' league, trades union, or co-operative association, or whatever it may be called, but we hear very little of their doings. We do not hear that in a ce v tain measure they regulate their dealings with their employees in a co-operative sort of way, and that " for ways that are dark and tricks that are vain" they are more peculiar than the heathen Chinee. It will be seen therefore that as there is no other agency in existence for supplying news, and as the newspapers outside the Association are a few bi-weeklies, and tin-weeklies in out of the way places, there is no other means of getting information except by belonging to the Association above referred to. It was very easy to join the old Press Agency. It could be done by paying so mnch, a

year, but to join the present one is a very costly matter. A new daily paper in a first-class town to gain admission should pay £SOO cash, and then pay its annual fee and telegraph charges besides. The aim of the Association is obvious in making these charges. They .know that no paper can live without re ceiving telegraphic news, and they know also that a charge of £SOO cash is sufficient to prevent newspapers from being started in opposition to them. Thus newspaper proprietors in this colony have created for themselves a monopoly, and given themselves protection—not against competition from outside the colony, but from rival institutions in their own localities. And these very papers will have the effrontery to lecture land monopolists, to expatiate on free trade, and ridicule the mechanic who asks for protection for his industry from American importations. Greater shamelessness was never heard of. How in the name of common sense can these papers denounce monopoly and advocate free trade, while they themselves are the most disgusting monopolists and protectionists in their own business that it would be possible to imagine ? No society of mechanics ever formed themselves into an association to prevent ether mechanics from starting in opposition to them. Such a thing has not been heard of, and we believe, the monopoly is peculiar to the newspaper proprietors of New Zealand. But the most shameless part of the transaction is that after having constituted themselves monopolists and protectionists they have the impudence to denounce all kinds of monopolies, and lecture proprietors of woollen factories, and coach factories, and machine-making factories, and so forth, on the ruinous consequences of seeking for protection from foreign importations. Who can have any confidence in what such newspapers say ? But the public do not know this. Oh, no! this does not appear in the papers. They are not even content with holding this monopoly, but must actually go to Parliament for further protection. One of their number, Mr Fcldwick, has introduced a Bill which has passed its second reading, and which has for its object the prevention of papers outside the Association from publishing the telegrams which appear in the Association papers. In the first place it is the recognised rule of newspapers, all over the world, to dip news from each other, and certainly a mean and pusillanimous spirit is exhibited by those who seek the aid of the law to depart from it. The grounds on which protection is claimed for those telegrams are feasible if the dark tricks of the Association are not exposed. They say that the telegrams cost over £3,509 a year, and that newspaper making use of them ought to contribute towards the payment of that sum. Quite right, the demand is very reasonable ; but will the Association be satisfied with papers paying a reasonable fee for these telegrams ? It will not. A paper must pay the fearfully exorbitant fee for admission into the Association first, and then pay tor the telegrams afterwards. It will be seen from this that it is not a contribution towards defraying the expenses incurred in getting these telegrams the Association aims at by this Bill, but the total extinction of all papers outside its own fold. It is not satisfied with having instituted a monopoly that will prevent other papers from starting in opposition, but it wants to. kill any papers that are at present in existence. If the Press Association wants other papers to contribute towards the payment of telegrams, let it abolish its protective duty ; let it allow outsiders join it, on contributing their fair quota towards its support, and then by all means let their telegrams have protection. But to protect it now is to give it a grossmonopoly, and we feel confident if the matter was placed fairly before the House, it would reject the Bill with scorn. However, the Bill has passed its second reading, and the only way that remains now is to amend it, so that the Association must abolish its charge for admission, and allow papers to publish the telegrams on reasonable terms. These terms should be fixed by Parliament. The small papers should not be left to the mercy of the monopolists, or else they will find pome means of ruining them, because their aim is not to obtain assistance towards the payment of their expenses, but to wipe out all opposition.

THE CULTIVATION OF FLAX. A meeting | was held on Saturday (says the Press) in the offices of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, Chrhtchurch, to consider the advisableness of forming a Flax Fibre and Linseed Oil Company ia Canterbury. Mr Davis,

Clyde, Wairoa, submitted papers contributed by hitn to the Wairoa Guardian on the culture of European flax, He described the processes the- flax would liave to go through, and gave the follow- , ing estimate of expenses and returns for one acre Rent and taxes, £2 ; ploughing, 12s; rolling and harrowing, 15s; seed (th-*eo bushels at 10s), £1 10s ; stripping seed, mowing and carting, £2 10s ; retting and grassing, £2 ; crushing, scutching, and packing for export at average yield of 5k cwt per acre, £2 15s ; total cost, £l2 2s. Return from one acre— sk cwt fibre at GOs per cwt, £l6 10s ; 24 bushels seed at Gs, £7 4s ; total return, £23 14s ; deducting £l2 2s cost of crop, left net profit per acre of £ll 12s. Cost of 14 stock mill, patent rollers (for crushing), £35 ; mill (for cleaning), £lB6 ; press (for packing), £SO ; builddings (sheds), £2OO ; steam engine, £3OO ; total, £765. Return for nine months—--30 tons per month (at £lO per ton), £2700 ; deduct labor (two thirds estimated), £IBOO ; balance for mill owner, £9OO. Deducting £4OO for cost of coal and oil, wear and teur left £SOO profit. Where flax seed was sown in the middle of September, it could be pulled about the middle of January, .vhen shearing had concluded, and harvesting operations were well under way, if not finished. A crop of turnips or rape seed sown after the flax was removed, and fed on during winter by sheep or cattle, would be found useful to stock, would return to the soil the elements extracted by the flax crop, and would fit the land for a similar crop the following year. Then fallow and crop again for two years in succession. By this rotation the soil would be kept free from weeds, and in good " tilth." A

committee was appointed to take the necessary steps to form a company for the growth and manufacture [of flax.—We have pointed out to the farmers of this district, on more than one occasion, the advantages which would arise from the cultivation of flax, and Mr Pilbrow has written some letters on the subject, but no effort has been made in that direction. It has been plainly shown to them that it would he a very profitable'industry, that there was a gentleman in Ohristchurch willing to invest his capital in the enterprise if he met with any encouragement, but this even did not have the least effect. Now, we ask, why should not steps be taken At once for the purpose of cultivating this very profitable industry,? It has been shown that it would be about three times more profitable than wheat, and that there was a sure and a never failing market for the sale of it, owing to the great demand for twine, but this has not induced farmers to take it up. The fact is farmers themselves will not take the initiative in anything that is f r their own good. They must be worked up or else things will never be started. Wo should suggest now that the best plan would be to call a meeting of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and try to induce them to take the matter up. Another course is to try to form a company simultaneously with the Batter and Cheese Factory. One canvass would do both, and we feel «ure that success would be attained.