JOURNALISM UNDER THREAT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 296, 14 December 1922, Page 4

JOURNALISM UNDER THREAT.

Million* have laughed over Mark Twain's description of "Journalism in Tennessee," in which, there is a pistol duel between the editor and an infuriated citizen, with the editor's new assistant receiving the bullets. Journalism in parts of Ireland to-day is just as dangerous, but is no laughing matter. The case of "Freeman's Journal" is especially interesting as an example, not only of the difficulties under which newspapers are sometimes conducted in Ireland and the attacks that are made on free thought from front and rear, but of personal heroism on the part of members of a profession which serves the public without any spectacular stimulus. This famous newspaper has had a wry chequered career in the last few years. It was burnt out in the Easter rebellion of 1916. For six weeks in 1810-20 it was suppressed for making comments on a secret order by the British Government; three unofficial attempts were made by the forces of the Government to destroy its commercial offices; and the editor and two directors were imprisoned on several nharges and the paper fined £3,600. It began to incur the hostility of the other side when it gave warm support to the King's appeal for peace, which line it followed up by supporting the party of settlement in the London negotiations. The penalty for this came wheal extremists of the I.R.A. raided the premises and destroyed so much of the machinery that the "Freeman" had to be issued as a typewritten sheet. 9o potent was the power of tjhe I.R.A. that no printer In Dublin would come to its assistance.

' "To visit the 'Freeman' office these nights Is to be brought m touch with a newspaper working under conditions that only the acidulated humour of Brei Harte could have appreciated," wrote the Dublin correspondent of the "Guardian" • shortly after this raid. "Standing in ; the dark street and rattling the letter- | box, one is challenged from inside. ! When the answer is satisfactory the j door is cautious'y opened and one looks ■into an ambuscade of rifles. Editors and reporters work in passage? guarded I by sentries, pud in the sub-editors' room | sits a young gentleman who has been 1 persuaded to rest his bayoneted rifle on i the sill of the open window. These i conditions are accepted by the staff with a strange equanimity.'' Xow the proi prietor and two members of the staff are threatened with death if they do not .leave Ireland, and wp presume the pro- ' prietor spe.ik. for tho three when he! lierir. till- I'olicK !: t :.u,.- , •Iml'

absolutely desperate men, whose vendetta has been extended, under circumstances of revolting brutality, to the families of their enemies, and the threatened men are denied the soldier's satisfaction of. hitting back. The devotion of these and many other Irishmen to their duty in the face of very real danger should be remembered in judging the Irish situation to-day.

Tlie by-law requiring motorists to stop when they encounter a tramcar going in the same direction that has stopped to allow passengers to alight or board it, was referred to at a meeting of the Auckland Automobile Association last evening. One member thought that the bylaw was going to prove more dangerous than the old condition of affairs, for there were now many motorists who tried to race a tramcar to the stop in order to avoid pulling up. It was a most ridiculous thing, he said, that fifty people ha 4 to be inconvenienced on occasions for the sake of ono who was getting off or on to a tra.mc.xr. while a horse and cart was allowed to proceed.

For a long time Chinese market gardeners on their way to the Melbourne market early in the mornings have been stopped by a polioeman on the St. Kilda Road and accused of driving on the wrong side. Generally the Chinese are asleep in the waggon seats, and the policeman, on waking them would fine them ten shillings each. Ho made the pace too hot, even for the Chinamen, and complaints to police headquarters resulted in two plainclothes men hiding among the cabbages in a Chinaman's cart last week, and directing him to drive on the wrong sido of the road. At 2 o'clock a uniformed constable stopped the waggon and fined the Chinese ten bob. "Mc welly poor," said the Chinese, "mc only eight bob." "Well, fined eight bob," replied the constable. Tho Chinaman acted his part well, paid over the money, and laughed in great glee when the plainclothes men jumped from the cabbages and caught tho policeman, who has been dismissed from the force.

Tbe final visit of the year was made yesterday by the Mayor and member* of fehe City Council to the big impounding dam works at Nihotupu, where all that ivovr remains to complete this nartuTal reservoir of 640,000,000 gallons capacity is the top tier of concreting, which it is expected will be finished before the end at Febrmiry next. On the way out the party stopped at the new Zoo grounds that are to be formally opened to the public on Saturday next by His Excellency the Governor-General, and after inspecting the Nihotupu dam the councillor* also visited Big Muddy Creek, the landing depot on the Manukau harbour, whence the stores and material for the impounding works are railed to the ground. It was hero that an outbreak of fire occurred some days ago. destroying the coal, sand, and cement bins, but little delay resulted, the council's engineers quickly effecting temporary arrangements for carrying on. There was a pleasant gathering of members of the Takapuna Borough Council and the heads of the office and outdoor staffs after the ordinary meeting last evening to mark the end of that energetic local body's past year's work. The gathering was held by invitation of the Mayor (Mr. A. M. Gould) at his residence, Mrs. Gould also being present. A number of toasts were honoured. The Mayor spoke very highly of the work done by the indoor and outdoor staffs, and the town clerk (Mr. S. Brittain Bull), foreman of works (Mr. John Bodle), and building inspector (Mr. W. Lawrence) acknowledged fair and considerate treatment by the Mayor and council. The year had been a strenuous one under the handicap of money stringency, and all had good cause for congratulation on the good results achieved. Th e council stands adjourned till February, and the election takes place In April. The Wellington Education Board had a discussion on the practice of the Government in making amendments and framing regulations without first consulting the boards. The director of education, states a Press Association telegram, had informed the board that no definite undertaking could be given to consult it, but all amendments were confidential. vStrong objection was expressed to the official attitude, and a resolution was passed to consult other boards re taking joint action and to inform the Government that legislation affecting boards should be submitted to them. A case of considerable interest to northern readers and what has become known as the Waikiekie cattle case was decided at the VVaipu Magistrate's Court, before Mr. Burton, SM. The plaintiff, Thos. Hetherington (Mt. M. N. Skelton). claimed from Frank L. Cubitt (Mr. 0. E. Stout), defendant, the return with damages of a dairy herd of 14 cows and heifer* illegally removed from plaintiff's farm in his absence by Frank L. Oubitt, the defendant, and his agents. Judgment was given for plaintiff. The oow 9 to ne returned to plaintiff's farm forthwith I with payment for dead oows, together! ■with damages and costs against defen-i dant.

Allowing on a long controversy': through the correspondence columns of the I : local paper, the Hamilton Borough Ooun-I i ell dectded last night to remove the ban on sunbathing at the lake and river I The motion was carried at the instance i of Oounoillor Webb, who regarded the existing by-law ac unreasonable. He did not : consider It wise to permit people to winder all over the reserve clad in bath ins costumes, but thought it reasonable to allow them to sun bathe within a cla;n of the bathing sheds. The Kaipara Hospital Boar*.recently received the resignation of Matron' Campbell from the charge of Paparoah Hospital owing to ill health. X urße j Potts, acting matron St. Helen's, Auckland takes up a permanent appointment |' at the hospital shortly where Sister! I>riffell is acting temporarily. I In Its issue of last Thursday the ' 'Sydney Morning Herald" says: "Some' feeling has been aroused in Sydney over ' the New Zealand 5* per cent loan of £500,000 put on the Sydney market. Tire loan is really for redemption purposeg the issue whose place it will take ; maturing on January 1 next." ' While porterg were piling luggage from tiie Main Trunk train on the platform at Frankton station yesterday a boy. recently released from'the industrial home got away with a portmanteau. He was seen by tie stationmaster, who had him arrested. He appeared before Mr. Voting. S.M.. who committed him to' the industrial school. The opening ceremony in connection with the Muriwai accommodation house is' announced to take place to-morrow • at 3 p.m. Motor buses to convey visitors i are timed to leave the General Post I Office at noon on Saturday. I, An' exhibition of students' work at the j Elam School of Art will he opened to- ' morrow from 12 to 4.30 p.m and 7 to 9.30 ' p.m. \'liiii*-i"ii is |

The importance of pushing on with the Takapuna sewage scheme was mentioned by the Mayor (Mr. A. M. Gould) at last night's meeting of the council. Mr. Could said he thought something should lie done to get matters in trim by the next meeting in February. He suggested that a small sub-committee should go through the various proposals and enbmit ft report thereon to a special meeting nt which Dr. Hughes and other experts should be invited to be present. This suggestion was adopted, it being agreed that the Mayor and Councillor J. WWilliamson form the sub-committee. A charming wind-up to the school year at King's Preparatory School was an "At Homo'" given by the chairman and Hoard of Governors yesterday afternoon, when there was a large gathering of relatives and friends. Professor and Mrs. 11. S. Dettman, assisted by Mr. and Mrs. S. Clifton-Smith, received the guests, after which the visitors were taken round the school by the young Bclfolars, who explained the use of each room. During the afternoon the students gave a lino gymnastio display on the hars and Roman rings. A string band enlivened the afternoon with appropriate selections. Regarding the Spahlinger system for the wire of tuberculosis, the joint committee of the Auckland centre of the British Red Cross and Order of St. John received a copy of a letter from Sir .Tames Allen, High Commissioner, this morning, urging that stepß be taken to secure a supply of serum for New Zealand. Sir James was convinced of the efficacy of the treatment, and the committeo decided to suggest to the New Zealand executive that negotiations should be commenced as speedily as possible with a view to obtaining rights for the Dominion in connection with the serum. The children of the Mount Kden primary school, numbering several hundreds, together with parents, friends and teachers, journeyed by special train to Hamilton yesterday, where they spent a very enjoyable day, picnicking and bathing in the beautiful Domain. They left again by special at 4.30 p.m., elated with their outing.