THE PREMIER AND THE PRESS ASSOCIATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2652, 28 April 1894, Page 2

THE PREMIER AND THE PRESS ASSOCIATION.

The following is the letter addressed by the Premier to the Manager of the Press Association, which fully explains what the Tory papers call the boycott of the Press Association by the Government :

Dear Sir, —I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 21st iuat. Your agent has seemingly misunderstood what I said when refusing him information the other evening, and lie lisb ovidently not informed you with the whole of the circumstances connected with tho matter.

It was somewhat late in the evening; I had left the Club Hotel, and was proceeding in the direotiou of the Welliugton Club when your agent accosted me ia the street and asked me if I had any news. ; I replied," If one of importance," and that if L had any I would not put myself out of the way to give it to the Press Association until the agent at Gisborne had reciified the injustice that was done to the Government by the manner in which he had treated my reply to Judge Barton's remarks as given to the Liberal Association at Gisborne. As I stated to yourself personally, your agent at Gisborne published in the paper with which ho is connected a coudoused report of what 1 said at tho interview with tho Liberal Association, and tho least ho could, in fairness, have done was to have transmitted the same to tho Press Association papers, especially as ho had previously sent a full raport of Judge Barton's remarks upon tho same subject. What I complruu of most is that when I asked if ho had sent a full roport he answered mo in tho affirmative. You may then judge of j,iy surp'-iso on arriving at Napior to find some two or three lines in tho pnpunt, and oven this reference was. vaguo and eliihliwh. Had this been the iivat occasion on which' grave injustice had been done to Urn (JO- - through tho United Press A«sociation reports I might, perhaps, Jmvo lot it pass, but it is a fact that a very large number of tho agents of tho Vtam

Association are connected with papers which are hostile to the Government Whilst regretting that this should be so, the fact still remains. The public have a right tor expect that as a Press Association partiality should be set aside, and that the gentlemen acting as 1 agents for the transmissio7i of news should be fair to all. A great responsibility rest 3on them when acting as your agents. If they fail to impartially do their duty the responsibility of continuing such a state of things rests with the a3ssociation. Under the circumstances I hope you will clearly understand me wheu I say that I have no desire to withhold news from the association, for it is well the people of the colony should have the fullest information on public affairs ; but so long as the Government is treated unfairly by the Tress Association 1 at all events will not put myself about or facilitate in any way its getting information. In conclusion, I certainly think I am entitled to know what explanation your Gisborne agent gave for misleading me when he said he Bent out a full report of what I had said to the Liberal Association deputation in reply to Judge Barton's remarks. Had he informed me that he had only sent a few lines I should then have known what to do. As it was partiality was shown to the detriment of myself and colleagues.