The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1890. CHARGES ON NEWS PAPERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1992, 9 January 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1890. CHARGES ON NEWS PAPERS.

Newspapers throughout the colony are at present very much dissatisfied with the action taken by the Railway Commisssioners in charging for the carriage of papers by train. Hitherto parcels of newspapers were carried free by train on all railways throughout the colony. This, we believe, is the custom throughout all the Australian colonies. In New South Wales and South Australia, at any rate, not only are the newspapers carried free on the railways, but they are carried free through the post offices. No postage is charged on papers in these two colonies. Sir George Grey has made several attempts to secure similar privileges for the people of New Zealand on the ground that every facility should be given for the dissemination of knowledge. The post office and railways belong to the people, and he urged that they ought to be used to disseminate knowledge as cheaply as possible. From this extreme the Railway Commissioners have gone to the other extreme. They have now decided to charge for the carriage of papers by train. Whatever may be said in favor of charging postage for carrying papers will not hold good in the case of the trains. The trains have to run, at any rate, and the weight of the papers could not make the slightest difference. Ihe only way in which carrying the papers could make any difference is in imposing more work on the guards, and if the charge made by the Railway Commissioners went into the pockets of these officers the arguments in favor of the change would have been more cogent. But it is not so. The guards get not one penny of it. They must still do the work, as before, and the tax on the newspapers will go to swell the railway revenue. We notice that most of the newspapers have revenged themselves on the guards, Ror years they have been accustomed to give the guards free papers in consideration of their trouble in looking after the papers, but now, when the charge has been made, the free papers have been stopped. This is a small-minded policy, and it is very unjust. The guards have had nothing to do with the charge being imposed ; they have the same trouble they hitherto bad, and the newspaper proprietors ought not to forget past services. The guards have in the past served the newspapers diligently and faithfully. In eight years we have never had occasion to complain of the way they delivered the papers. \V e certainly have every reason to feel obliged to them, and we are ‘not goin» to punish them for the sins of ° the Commissioners.

But if the Christchurch and Dunedin papers have reason to complain, how much more are we justified in entering our protest against - the change F The railway authorities charge us as much for one pound weight to Winchester as they would for seven pounds weight from Christchurch. A parcel of, say. 100 papers could be sent from Christchurch to Winchester for the same price as it would cost us to send four papers to Winchester, It is of this we chiefly complain. The tas imposed on us is out of proportion to that which has been placed on the papers in large cities, and we consider this unfair and unreasonable. It is well calculated to place us at a disadvantage, and consequently we object to it. The coat to us is equal to half the wages of a member of our staff, i his we must pay out of our profits', which we regret to say are not too large already. We cannot see our way to charge it to our subscribers, so we must pay it ourselves. The cost

to the larger papers will doubtless 1 equal the wages of several members ©f | the staff, and they are also placed in a similar position. A shoemaker or a tailor, or any producer, finds an article costs a certain amount, and he charges for it accordingly. A newspaper propiretor cannot do this. If he were to charge one halfpenny extra for every paper it would amount to ten times the railway charges, and this would not be fair to the subscribers. There is no way left, therefore, only to pay it out of profits or out of wages. The newspaper can dismiss so many men, produce an inferior article, and thus recoup itself. We have no doubt but that several newspapers will have to resort to this, and here again we are placed at a disadvantge. We cannot get rid of half a man and keep the other half ; so we are left no alternative only to pay the money out of our scanty profits. We notice that the Otago Daily Times has commenced to make a charge on its subscribers, in consequence of which many residents in country districts are ceasing to take the paper. We commend the Otago Daily Times for this, as it will draw attention to it. People do not care one straw how much the newspapers may have to pay so long as they are not taxed themselves. J3y throwing the tax on to the subscribers they will take an interest in it, and compel their representatives in Parliament to see to it. There can be no doubt but that ultimately the commissioners will work themselves out of their billets by their own stupidity.