THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1909. NEWS BY CABLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9550, 23 July 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1909. NEWS BY CABLE.

Probably the queerest collection of news imaginable is' sent by cable to the Dominion of New Zealand. Why this should be so we do not understand. On various occasions we have read explanations, but none ot them has been to our mind a true explanI ation. For instance, there must be financial, agricultural, pastoral and commercial news in Australia, by way of instance, hut how much of it do we receive by way of cable? Practically niL Instead of such healthy and interesting news we get in extenso the details of disgusting murders. An inhabitant of Mars, who mighr happen to visit New Zealand, would, of he read the newspapers, certainly come to the conclusion that most of the Australian people die of murder. We do not say that some news is not cabled from Australia, but we do say that absurd items, and news that h undesirable is sent to such an extent as call for condemnation. But now and then a little unconscious humour creeps in, and lightens the dulness of the cable. In yesterday's issue we punlished a cablegram from Sydney to | the effect that an animal, supposed to be a tiger "is causing consternation in the Mount Kembla district. A local doctor and a miner were attacked by night, the doctor receiving a severe wound on tne head. Neither of them stayed to identify the animal." One can scarcely imagine such gross carelessness! Surely the doctor, a man of science, would take some little interest as to the nature nf the animal that attacked him, especially seeing that it was night time. The doctor should have stayed to identify the animal, and he would, no doubt, have subsequently been identified with it. The fact that he did not do so is of course worthy of mention in cable news. But the cables from the "hub" of the Empire are the poorest, as a whole. Every loyal subject in New Zealand is alway pleased to learn that His Majesty is in good health, but that scarcely justifies such a cablegram as "the King went for a drive to-day." The in- ( limation is, of course, received in

a spirit of respectful politeness, but we have never noticed anyone on receipt of the news, writing to the Borough Council suggesting that the bells should be rung, and the town decorated to mark the event. Most people know that His Majesty the King does many things every day, and that the great position he hold? in the world is one that a man of lazy tendencies would certainly not enjoy, but such a fact, however pleasing it may be to the King's loyal subjects to recognise it, in no way excuses the curious items of news that are sent from London- the Mecca of tha Empire. And so one could multiply illustrations without number. As we have said the strangeness of the cable news is a peculiar and to some extent unexplainable matter. Pressmen, on the whole, are fairly intelligent men, and generally well read, arid what ia more are frequently men who are genuinely in love with their work. The cable news of today that comes to New Zealand is, however, not a credit to journalism, and the fault, we believe, is not attributable to any expressed desire to receive such a service on the part of New Zealand journalists.