NEWSPAPERS AND MR COMPTON

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27502, 9 November 1954, Page 9

NEWSPAPERS AND MR COMPTON

Evidence On Behalf Of Proprietors

“CONCERTED LINE” DENIED

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 8. Newspaper editors or proprietors had not—as previously stated before the commission—decided on a concerted line of action against the Commissioner of Police (Mr E. H. Compton), said a witness before the Police Inquiry Commission today. The witness, Harry Neil Blundell, a director of the “Evening Post” and a member of the general committee of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, was referring to a statement said to have been made to Sub-Inspector George Edward Callaghan by a former “Truth” reporter, Robert James McCormick.

. Mr.Blundell said he had seen published in the newspapers the statement that Mr McCormick told SubInspector Callaghan that “newspaper editors, meeting in Dunedin, had decided on a concerted line of action against Compton," and that "if he did not give evidence his name would be ‘smeared.’ ”

The witness said to questions from counsel assisting the commission (Mr C. Evans-Scott) that newspaper editors had never met in a body at Dunedin or elsewhere. Counsel: Have the proprietors or editors of newspapers ever discussed any joint editorial policy? The witness: No. Newspapers are very jealous of their Individual editorial policies. Each newspaper considers its own policy its own concern.

There were three organisations for newspapers in New Zealand—the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, the New Zealand Press Association and the Commonwealth Press Union, the witness said to further questions. Members of those associations had met at Dunedin in March, 1954, and the previous occasion was many years ago. A half-yearly .meeting would have been held at Wellington about October, 1953.

The witness said he had been present .at those meetings, and at no time had there been any discussion of, the po!ice inquiry, or of any individual or any matter coming before

Mr Evans-Scott had earlier passed on to the commission (Sir Robert Kennedy) a request from the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association that it be given an opportunity of clarifying the reference to it in the evidence Wedne“ PeCt ° r Callagahan ° n