GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 865, 11 July 1910, Page 8

GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING.

MR, RUSSELL DEFENDS THE MLVISTKY. Sir,— 'h\ your leader on the above ■subject in this Saturday's issuo 1 find tho following surprising and unusual question:—'• \ViJI Mr. U. \V. Kussell, member for Avon, say that 'The Spectator,' published wcfckly in Cknstchurch, is entitled to twelve times the amount of State advertising given to Tim Dominion, published daily in Wellington.'," Being thus directly aud personally appealed to, 1 have no hesitation m answering emphatically "los" to your question. Jly reasons may be stated briefly. "The Spectator" lias been in existence over fifteen years, and is tho only originally . illustrated journal in tho South island that comes with general circulation, it is a purely commercial undertaking of independent politics, and ou accouut of its general summary of events, society news, and sport, is the only paper purchased in many homes. its illustrations rank next to the "Bulletin" in Australia (this is admitted), and it publishes yearly a Christmas j\ umber, which gots far and wide over tho civilised world, owing to its literary and artistic merit. These facts are quite sufficient :o justify the very moderate amount spent by the Dominion Government in advertising in its columns.

Having said so much, I am bound to deal witn your own journal, the literary ability and enterprise of which 1 most cheerfully admit. The Dominion was not started as a commercial undei taking but as :■> political organ, its capital subscribed entirely by a body of wealthy nion in order to capture public opinion for their persona] interests. The existing journals, representing botli sides in politics, speaking generally—l exclude the large himlliolding interest —fully covered the advertising held, so far as the Government were considered. The need for publishing Uoverninojil advci tisc--ments in a third paper in Wellington has not been apparenc. Both sides were already catered- for in the city, and in the country districts the rural press tilled the bill, if the Government had spent £1000 last year in advertising in TiiK Dominion, 1 doubt if iiie revenue would have been increased or the expenditure on contracts tendered for rotiiiced, in winsf-qiieiiw, b.v tho sum of £i! 0. Also, n-j.tre is tho inoresriiig of adveilisihg charges to stop? Ii tho workers started a paper in Wellington, and the small farmers, and tho Prohibitionists, and the Liquor p-.oplc—are nil these classes to step forward and claim advertising to the amount spent in the two newspapers already used for the purpose--tho "Evening Post" and "New Zealand Tiffi-r-s'"' '; Yet- why should they not do s-j, if the moneyed classes are to claim slid receive for their paper, The Dominion, a- full share of Government advertising?

I aui sorry, as a nr-wspapoi proprietor, to bo compelled thus to deal with your ably-conducted journal, bub the pointed nature of your personal reference- to myself, has loft mo no alternative- but to accept your challenge.— 1 am, etc.,

G. W. EUSSELL, Managing Director of G. W. Russell, Ltd., Proprietors of "The Spectator," Christchurch. Wellington., July 9, 1910. P.S.—I feel sure this letter will not bo boycotted.—G.AV.B.

[Wo are pleased to publish Mr. Russell's eulogies of his weekly publication, for we must admit that 'it displays a groat deal more independence iJi its views on political matters than is aspired to by its proprietor when speaking from his place- in Parliament. Wo will even concede, for the sake of argument, that a weekly paper of the typo of the Christchurch "Spectator" is read by a few people who do not seo a daily paper containing the same Government advertisements as appear in its columns; though there is grave reason to doubt tho accuracy of this view. We will overlook tho fact that the "Spectator" receives more Government advertising than the "Wwkly Press," published iii the same city, and possessed of probably more than four times the circulation of Mr. Russell's paper. But while he may be able to afford some reason for advertising in the "Spectator," Mr. Ilussoll's attempted justification of the Government's boycott of Tim Dominion not only utterly fails, but his pronouncements are really indiscreet. The Dominion, he says, was not started as a commercial undertaking, hut as a political organ. No doubt Mr. iiussell believes all lie states on this point—for the sake of argument wo will again allow liis assertion to pass iincojitradicted. His statement, of conrje, has nothing to do with the merits of Tire Dominion and its rivals as mediums of advertising—it is designed to injure this paper in quito another way—but if it means anything at ;?U it means that in the eves of tho Liberal party it is not 'an offence to start a paper for commercial reasons, while to found a paper for political purposes is to ho utterly damned in the sight of the party. Does Mr. Russell pretend to beliovo, or to expect tho public to believo, that if Tub Dominion had been founded in the interests of the Liberal party it would have been boycotted in the matter of Government advertisements to-day? Does ho think the public is so easily gullible as to believe anything of the kind? And docs not his admission prove exactly what we have contended all along, that tho boycott is part of a political effort to crush The Dominion and to suppress its freo criticism on political questions? Mr. Russell has really been very indiscreet. Ho is equally unfortunate in his argument that because two papers used to cover an area which is now covered by three papers, there is no necessity to advertise in the third. It does not matter to him whether the two older-estab-lished papers have lost all or any part of their circulation, or whether the new journal eclipses either or both of tho older ones in the iiumber of its readers. The return which the State gets from its advertising is, according to his argument, to count for nothing besido the sentimental desire on the part of Ministers to continue to advertise with the older newspaper. Need more be said ? After reading Mr. Russell's letter the public should bear in mind that that gentleman is one of the keenest and ablest members on the Government sido of the House and one whoso name has more than onco been mentioned in connection with a portfolio. It will then understand how hard-pressed the Government really is to find excuses for tho misspending of public money in order to carry out its advertising boycott, and punish an outspoken critic.]