The Press. TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1915. An Editor and the Prime Minister.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15269, 4 May 1915, Page 6

The Press. TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1915. An Editor and the Prime Minister.

Wo do not know whether the pubic will . be amused, edified, or frankly bored by the correspondence between tho editor - of an esteemed local contemporary and the Prime Minister, which wo publish % in another column. However, so many J_* attacks havo been made on the Govern- .• ment, and the head of fhe Ministry in _ -'particular, for alleged "favouritism" " rV " to "Tho Press" that.it seems a fair - thing that the actual facts of the case --and, wo .have been careful to stato *'"■ both sides—should be placed before the j.' public. '-' )Q_o of tho most serious faults of a - voting democracy liko that of New Zealand is its tendency to rely too much on tho Government instead of upon its own efforts. ' It is a fault which is evident- -. ly-beginning to affect tho Opposition Pre«_ to a degree which, if not checked, must gravely undermine its spirit of -. - enterprise. A moro robust school of journalism in former times devoted its energies to getting news, and if beaten on one oc-casion by an enterprising con- — _ .temporary,, sought to readjust tbo balan'co at tlio earliest opportunity by -making a "score'" of its own. Tho new practice of advertising one's failures and crying to Jupiter for help does not strike us as being an improvement. In this, as in many other cases, we believe " that the old ways are tho best. So far as we aro concerned, wo say -' frankly that in some respects tho Government, in its desiro to bo strictly im- || partial, has been rather hard on "The |l " Press," instead of showing us undue " favouritism. Tako the case of tho war correspondence, for example. Our London correspondent, with consider- .'. able enterprise, sent in an application to the War Office directly ho heard that a certain number of correspondents - - would be allowed to go to the front. Tho War Office referred tbo application to the High Commissioner and the Government of New Zealand for their approval. The High Commissioner, _'■;- knowing Mr Scholefield's ability and '-",£' standing as a journalist, recommended his appointment, and tho Government, - accepting that recommendation, gave their approval. At that timo thero " was no other New Zealand correspondent applying. Weeks afterwards the Opposition papers, who had previously, f-o far as we are aware, taken no 6teps iv tho matter, found out what had been done, and succeeded in persuading the Government to withdraw the approval -' 'which had been .given. Wo venture to think that tho public will bo the losers - "by their action. Our readers havo seen what Mr Scholefield has already been a bio to accomplish. Ho has given us iho Jbcsfc account which ha s yet been .published in • any jjasgrnal of tho work _ of '-the Grand Fleet. The Melbourne "Argus" quoted his . principal article " on this subject with expressions of the - highest approval. Without any assist-*">n-e from tho New Zealand Govern-

ment he spent a week in tho British lines in tlio beginning of March, and our readers will agree that his articles describing the life of our men in the trenches havo been most interesting and instructive. They havo brought vividly before us the actualities of war and ehould havo a good effect in stimulating recruiting. Whether tho Opposition Press havo sent Home a Grand Remonstrance to Lord Kitchener for ,al,lowing this to bo dene wo do not know, and, like Mr Massey, wo do not care. Wo cannot help tho reflection, however, that if tho original appointment had not been interfered with tho same correspondent would probably havo been using his graphic pen to describe the doings of the New Zealanders on tho Gallipoli Peninsula and the public would havo benefited. The official correspondent appointed by the Government to supply all tho newspapers is a very ablo journalist who will do his work well. Wo fear, however, he will be a little late in arriving on tbo scene, an_ experience elsewhere has shown that the best of journalists aro hampered by official restriction, and delays. We are strongly convinced that tho less journalists rely on Governments tho better, and that tho moro they are allowed to carry out their work in their own way—subject of courso in war time to the restrictions of the censor—tho better will tho public interests be served.