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Temuka Leader, Issue 1569, 16 April 1887, Page 2

■MB IVESS' NEW PAPcR.

Mr Joseph Ivbss has issued the prospectus of a new paper in Timaru. He says ; “ The paper will be essentially a local paper, and all such matter of an outside character, which the promoter was obliged to publish under his agreement with the Directors pf the Timaru Herald, will be omitted.” Before people promise support to the hew paper they ought to know the meaning of these words. They are not very intelligible to the outside public. What is the meaning of the words, “ all such matter of an outside character,” which Mr Ivess was compelled to publish in the Herald, but which he says will be omitted from the new paper. Of course matter of an outside character must be telegraphic news. The words must mean that no telegrams will be published in the new paper. Before Mr Ivess cou'd get telegrams for the new paper he would have to pay something between £3OO and £SOO to the Press Association as an admission fee, also pay an annual subscription to the same Association, and pay the telegraph office for the telegrams besides. This Mr Ivess means to save by having no telegrams in his paper, and thus reducing the new venture to-the level of an advertising sheet. Now what is the good of a daily paper that does not publish telegrams ? He says in the prospectus that “ a canvasser will call upon business men throughout the district, to solicit orders for advertising and subscriptions.” Before Mr Ivess sends routid his canvasser we should suggest Id him to publish a guarantee—lst, that he will join the Press Association and publish their New Zealand, Intercolonial, and English telegrams; 2nd, that he will subscribe to Reuter’s Agency and publish all its English cablegrams. If Mr Ivesa does this everything is satisfactory; if not, we say he has no right to ask people to patronise his project without telling them plainly that it will be a paper that will give them'no information with regard to anything outside the Timaru district. Lot him say “ I will have the usual telegraphic news in the paper,” or “I will not have the usual telegraph news in the pape'r.” When his canvasser comes round let intending subscribers insist on knowing this, for if they sign an agreement they vill be bound to carry out that agreement. If they sign an agreement to take the paper for twelve months they must take it whatever it may be like. We know very well that if a mao put down his name for a paper for twelve moattis and found it gave no telegraphic news he would be disappointed and disgusted. No daily paper could live without telegraphic news ; it would never have any ciroulation, and it would be worth nothing as an advertising medium. Mr Ivess must be less ambiguous in his language before be can expect the public to take up the new venture with enthusiasm. So far as we are concerned we do not care whether he starts it or not. When Mr Ivess had the Herald he did his beat to run us out of the field, but we never lost as much as sixpence through his efforts. When he failed to hurt us with the Timaru Herald it is not very likely that he will do us much harm with his new venture. We have now seen three proprielors come and go on the Timaru Herald, and the coming one is the fourth, AH of them have done their best to run us off the field ; the Herald has been ruined in the attempt to ruin us, but we are more firmly fixed than ever. It is not likely, therefore, that we are much frightened of an advertising sheet coming into competition with us,

and we ooly write this so.that the public may see what they are doing before binding themselves tosopport it.