GOVERNMENT BOYCOTTING.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1035, 25 May 1894, Page 6

GOVERNMENT BOYCOTTING.

The Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says :— lt appears that the official boycott as applied to journalistic representatives of that section of the press that refrains from slavish adulation of the Premier and all his works is also to be applied commercially. Thus it will be found that the sins of the Post will be visited by the withdrawal of all Government advertisements, whilst the punishment to be meted out by a democratic Government — save the mark —to the Otago Daily Times, the Christchurch Press and the Auckland Herald will not be of so direct a kind, since they will, I understand, be struck at through their weekly issues, which* will be deprived in future of official advertisements. This means that the papers indicated are to be punished by what will practically amount to the infliction of a fine for the independent criticism of the Government of the day. Do the gods wish to destroy these men that they thus lose their wits? The Wellington Post says that in accordance with a circular recently issued excluding that journal, amongst others, from the list of those in which Government advertisements are to be published, notifications of volunteer parades, etc., are not now sent to it. It has received offers from officers and members of the force to pay privately for the insertion of volunteer district orders, but as it does not think it right that the cost should be thrown on them, the proprietors of the Post intend to publish such announcements as usual without charge. Accordingly the orders for the Queen's Birthday are printed in the Post's advertisement coiumns under the heading of " Government announcements published gratis."