PRIVATE ENTERPRISE V. Go VERNMENT INTERFERENCE.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 959, 5 April 1872, Page 2

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE V. Go VERNMENT INTERFERENCE.

This is the heading of a circular ad dressed to the Press of New Zealam by Greville's Telegram Company, o the subject of telegraphic summarie Greville's company complains of tb Hon. Julius Yogel having purchase from the Associated Press of Australi the exclusive right of publishing thei telegrams in New Zealand for thesui of £SOO per annum, and undertaking on the part of tho New Zealand Gr< vernment, to resume the supply < press telegrams to the newspapers i this Colony, thus competing with thei private business. The company d not hesitate to state their belief ths it will be found, when the proper tin comes for inquiry, that in enteric into this contract Mr A 7 ogel has bee making a bid for tho support of tl Melbourne " Argus" and " Sydn< Morning Herald " in his negociatioi with tho Australian Governments, ai that as an inducement ho has pr< mised the " Argus" that he will ei deavor to pass a Telegram Copyrigl

jll through the New Zealand Legisture, thus aiding the Australian Assisted Press and at the same time cur i D g a monopoly to the Governed in New Zealand in respect to oso telegrams. For a long time refille's Telegram Company on the 10 band, and the " Argus" and gydney Morning Herald" on the fter, have been contending for sulemacy, and thus Mr Vogel, in conuding a contract with them is blamed the company for having aided these f o Australian journals in the attempt , crush G-reville's Telegram ComLy, a fact of which, they say, he m t have been perfectly aware, hey make bold enough also to state iat in order to strengthen Mr Vogel's mds a feeling of discontent has been istered amongst some of the New ealaud journals, and, in many cases, is distinctly traceable to Governient influence. Greville and Co., it jpears, had forestalled Mr Vogel in egociating with the Australian As|,ciated Press for their telegrams, but ere out-bid by Mr Vogel. The elegram Copyright Act, recently issed in Victoria, only protects teleW m3 for 24 hours, and, moreover, far |ore economic arrangements than hose of the Australian Associated >res3 have been made by Greville and )o, in Australia to procure telegrams ;om London, amongst which special elegrams for New Zealand would form part. The company desire to show bit the payment of £SOO a year-by 3e New Zealand Government will

ecessitate much higher charges than hose intended to be submitted by km, and they therefore call upon ewspaper proprietors to strengthen jeir bands to resist the Government etion, or newspapers will be coerced ito an expensive government system f press telegraphy. Now, as the ompany appeal to the sympathy and ense of justice on the part of newsapers in this matter, it is a question or them to debate whether any Goerament should in such circumstances e allowed to interfere in this way ith private enterprise. It must be emembered, as the company point at, that when the Government disontinued the snpply of telegraphic ummaries to the Press, and left lewspaper proprietors to slijft for iiemselves at very short notice, two [dependent organisations came into lie field almost simultaneously—the ■at, the Press Association; the other, Jreville'a Telegram Company; that arly in 1871 the Press Association eased to exist, and since that date the 'ress of this colony has entirely depended upon Greville's Company for telegraphic news. Whilst the comany admit that the system adopted py them has not been all that could be lesired, they claim that it has been far uperior to any organisation of the ;ind that has preceded it, and with that ipinion we believe the press generally rill agree. It must be admitted that here are many difficulties in establishQg a telegraphic agency on an extenive scale in this colony, where the 'equipments of the various journals ie so dissimilar, and so ruled by local nfluences and circumstances; where here is no actual base for the distribu|ion of news, as in the case of Adelaide, |felbourne, and Sydney; but where In extended sea board, isolated centres of population, and comparatively Imperfect telegraphic communication, Necessitate numerous agencies, increase the expenses of working, and cause delays : looking also at the limited means jpf the great body of the New Zealand press, at the difficulty of obtaining competent agents out of small communities, and at the strong political reefing existing in the various proivincial towns, we agree with the comjpany in thinking that, though they iinay not have fulfilled all the hopes ;«pected of them, they have accomplished a great deal* and that it is unfair, at the present juncture, for the Government thus to compete with them to the injury of their business, unless it can be shown that such private enterprise has been prejudicial to the best interests of the public.