THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1912. SIGNED ARTICLES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10684, 2 August 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1912. SIGNED ARTICLES.

[The member for Wellington South is pei'fouming w'lfat some people may regard as a noble service to the State by introducing a BMI 'having for its object 'the ei'ib'bln'g of (newspaper anonymity,, as the Labour politicians of Australia (have sought to do. If Mr 'Hindmarsß couTd find) time between hf§ ethereal dreams to examine his own proposal, he will probably be so disgusted witQi himself tiliat lie will apologise to his coinsit/ituenis fdr having attempted to insult their intelligence. If Paiffiament, in a iniomewt of aberration—ltlvank heavens those moments are more rare in New Zealand than an Australia—were to commit itself to the outrageous proposition of Mr Bimdma.iish, the co'untry would be held up to ridicule, even as Ausitnallliia is being ridiculed ail England f.t the present" nnomen't. The member for Wellington Sou till, t ,who is" reputedly a lawyer, .will know how, tenaciously his o wan profession cliii'gs to tits privileges. Ask Mr Hindmtirsli who authouised him, ,as a lawyer, to .enter a ceutlain plea, 'and lie would 'immediately regent the inquMitiveness of the inquirer. He belongs to a. profession iwhicih regards its privileges a 6 Baored. Tt is (therefore vamazsnlg that Ihe should iseek ,to deprive another honourable profession of 'a privilege wthich flias come to it iby tradition, and w'liich ■is jealously guarded in every of the .Britislh Empire in the world—gave, .perhaps, ■benighted Australia. What excuse does <tihi:is legifel'litive query offer for luis irfcTiaulo.us proposal? Has ttflie newspaper press cf New Zealand treated .him with less respedt than: his temporary importance 'deserves? WlVi t does it matter to the pubic .whether a newspaper a-r ticle is writtdn by Mr Asquifth, pr iTheodore 'RooseveUt, or (Smith, Jones, Robinson or iHindmarsh ? Ilhese are the days w'hen! readers look for prin-l cTpTes, not men, .Xo'body stops to aslf, far iw'ho wrote the greatest classic the world" "possesses; —ithe Book of Books. It is t'he mat- v

tor thai the Book contains*, and not the j'er.iswr, or .author, -wOtih which t'ho people .are ccuxcrned. So •with 't'ho - newspapers. The 'average' ir.au and woman reads' for mapi ration, for knowledge, for advice Oil poli'i-ttcal alnU citTier .subjects. And if the production cf ,Mr iHi.'ndmsrsh appealed to tin. puttie oomttifose, it .would have ;lf> much, weigh* >t"7ie' community, pea-haps more, if fuensigtoo']! I'han if signed. But do ncifc Idt Mr ,Hmd-iniaii-h run. away with the> idea tb.it | the newspaper writer is) afraid of his | identity ibeimp; disclosed. It is net, I a.ny fo.il- Cif that sort wliiolh prompts anonymity. .It is because lanonymity is a right confctral upon the British Preee by cue-torn, and because, there cs no geed reason why that (right, or privilege, should be withdrawn. Does |Tvi'r Hindma-'Ash .seriously contend tlliat l a. man's 1 meuiltal calibre and literally capacity should lio measure-] 1 by the leiigUh cf k's puirseP Is that why he irifi,li'eis to show that the writer of (i poOical article should be discounted icr apipuiised? Supposing, for argument fJike, that the wealthiest man iin New Zealand were to describe the /member for Wellington South as a polvt-icvil ass? Would he be <a>ny the less an as>s by the reason of Hie disclosing of the identity of this wealthy •writer? Oir, "woula lie bo - -regarded as the , rno.ro assinane if the. airfcicle were wiriitten by the perspiring scribe who has 1 had occasion to list-en to the oieetfonee'ring perorations of Mr HixidnuirelfP "file whale proposition is so intca-.'sciy lutßeroua ffiat we are 'svir-piik-dd that a boSy lof kift'elTlgent legislators should have given it a bearing eve.-r 011 a day whew Wlishers and Ivsansf.£rs Evils are permissible. And ■we are still more surprised that a Milliliter of the Ctou'ii .should 'have given ilie- principle /jf the measure lii's nßrtonbH approval.