PRESS REPLY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 114, 17 May 1938, Page 9

PRESS REPLY.

MR. NASH'S ATTACK

"NO DISCRIMINATION."

ASSOCIATION'S POLICY.

CHARGES SYSTEM EXPLAINED,

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, this day. In his address last night, the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, is reported to have said that there was discrimination shown by the Press Association through pressure on its members. The Press Association points out that since its inception its staff, and its agents, have been expressly instructed by the directors that there must be no discrimination, or partisanship, political or otherwise.

In connection with the incident to which Mr. Nash referred, the Press Association states that it has not been uncommon when either the Government or the Opposition has desired to make a statement exceeding in length the bounds of an ordinary Press Association message to suggest that the statement should be posted to newspapers lor publication on a named date. The statement of the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Adam Hamilton, to which it was understood the Minister of Employment, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong was replying lengthily, had been posted' to newspapers, and it was suggested to Mr. Armstrong that his reply should be handled similarly. Mr. Armstrong did not favour that course, and asked that his statement should be sent in full as a Press Association message. It was then suggested that it should be telegraphed free to newspapers. At this stage the manager of the Press Association had not seen the statement. On Mr. Armstrong declining to have the statement telegraphed free of charge, the manager of the Press Associationasked to be shown a copy of it. This was done and the Press Association agreed to telegraph the statement in full.

Mr. Nash referred to concessions granted to newspapers in the form of reduced rates for Press telegrams and the Press Association points out that concession rates for Press telegrams are not confined to New Zealand. In the majority of instances in the Dominion, Press messages are simultaneously transmitted by the Telegraph Department to a number of addressees, and each addressee is charged the full Press rate for the message. This is not the case in Australia and the United Kingdom, where the full Press rate is charged against the first addressee, while the other addressees receive their messages at a very substantially reduced charge, which in Britain is one-fourth of the Press rate. The present Press rate in New Zealand is three times the pre-war rate.