PARLIAMENTARY.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3024, 24 October 1878, Page 1

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

. Wellingtoh, Tuesday. GOVBBNMENT WJBE-PULLING. Mr McLean desired to more without notice that the papers laid on the table relative to granting special wires to certain I newspapers be printed. The Hon. K. Stout objected to Mr McLean, and in order to hare au opportunity of speaking, he moved the adjournment of the debate. Mr Stout said the printing office was fully occupied, and the papers referred to could not be printed this session., Mr McLean urged the importance of printing these papers, which,disclosed an attempt to grant a monopoly to three, Go'rernment organs, and crush, the independent Press of the colony. The Premier had granted this monopoly against the adrice of the . General Manager of Telegraphs, whose opinion was that the proposed arrangement would inrolre a cost of £4,000 a year. These were the Auckland Herald, Lyttelton Times, Otago Daily Times, in the latter . of. which one member of the Ministry had an interest. The Telegraph Manager had . protested against the proposed arrangement unless the same facilities were offered to the whole press of the colony. If the postal and Customs tariff were regulated by an Act, why should not telegraph charges be similarly regulated, instead of by Orders in Council. The Attorney-General should be ashamed thus j to assist a journal in which he is interested. ?he arrangement was designed to kill the Dunedin Star and Morning Herald (Dunedin), and Canterbury Press, and independent papers which criticised the policy of the Government. He hoped erery member of the. House would read the correspondence., Mr Wakefield said an impression had get abroad that an exceedingly wrongful transaction had been attempted in the shape of a special contract with a few newspapers to the exclusion of the rest. The idea was.that the Government proposed to gire three or four newspapers a < monopoly of the wires for two years. „. The, H0n..8. Stout said the\arrangement proposed would not, only apply to any particular journals, bat the Press Agency could obtain the same terms if willing to pay the same amount. Mr Fox said that from a perusal of the correspondence he beliered the Government proposed to gire a monopoly of special wires to three papers, which were already largely subsidised in the way of . advertisements. This monopoly was granted in defiance of the adrice of the general manager of telegraphs, who reported that the proposed scheme would inrolre the expenditure of four thousand a year. The newspapers concerned got the cost reduced to two thousand, and the Gorernment accepted this, and made an exclusive arrangement without consulting the rest of the press of the colony. • The Hon. Mr Fisher said if the newspapers joined in' a combination .the Government intended to proride wire for the press regardless of apolitical creed. The Press Agency would hare the same facilities is other journals. . \; Mr. Swanson said he had. a^ejegram from the Auckland Star, complaining of being excluded. The.Hon; Mr Fisher said at present the Government did not see its, way clear to increase .the accommodation granted to eveningpapers. The special wire arrange* ment woald not come into operation until the beginning of next year, and by that time, the Gorernment hoped to hare another'special wire to accommodate the Press of- the colony generally.. Major Atkinson contended' this was an admission that the Gorernment intended absolutely to' give a monopoly to a few newspapers 1, leaving the rest of the Press of the colony dependent on the chance of another wire. , Mr Bichardson said he had been informed that a letter written by the Press Agency was left out of the correspondence laid on the table. . •>>':,>:. The Hon. Mr Ballance replied that the Gorernment would lay it on the table. , Mr McLean said he was informed that the letter which was not laid on the table was 1 from tie Press Agency, "applying for a special wire, and asking the Gorernment to name their price. Would the Attorney General deny that he had not prompted the editor of a paper in which he was interested to this application P Mr Stout-said it is utterly untrue"— utterly false. ; ' ' Mr McLean called the Speaker's attention to the' words. " The Speaker ruled Mr Stout out of Order- '-■.-. Mr Stout said he would substitute that the. statement of the member had not an atom of truth in it. . Mr McLean said he had merely mentioned the matter in a categorical form. The Gorernment could not itretoh an additional wire from Auckland to the Bluff in two months, eren if they had the material. ■ . „ . . The motion for adjournment was negatived on the voices. .-■•■.- SLAUGHTER OP IKNOCIKTB COMMXNCXD.. - On the motion of the Hon Mr.^Sheehan the following orders of the day were discharged from the order paper :-<- Fencing Bill, second reading; Fine Art . Copyright Amendment Bill, second reading; Fisheries Protection Bill, second reading; Publicans' Licenses Bill, second reading; Babbit Nuisance Bill, second reading; Brands Bill,, to be committed; Impounding Bill, to be^ committed; Bribery Bill, to be committed; Dog .Registration Bill, second reading; Wanganui Harbor Board and Itiver Conservatory Bill, second reading; Dunedin. Botanical Gardens Bill, second reading- . , WAIKATO LAND BILL.. „ The Waikato Crown Lands Bill, to .enable the Government to sell certain reserves and derote the proceeds to higher education, was read a first time. ; -