A WHIRL OF WORDS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1226, 7 September 1911, Page 6

A WHIRL OF WORDS

PREMIER'S USUAL METHOD. MORE ABOUT THAT"STA66ERING STATEMENT," • CABLEGRAM FROM LONDON. SOME COMMENTS IN PARLIAMENT. ,Tho Primo Minister has received fromtho High Commissioner a reply to his cabled inquiry concerning tho romarkablo statement on immigration which was printed in tho "Westminster Gazette," as coming from tho High Commissioner's office,' and reprinted with comment in The Dominion' of Tuesday last. In the House "yesterday, the Premier read his cable to the High Commissioner and tho reply, and made further statements, in the course of which ho- again attacked this journal. A lively discussion took place. • Sir Joseph Ward said that after seeing tho extraordinary statement in The Dominion he sent the following cable to the High Commissioner:— "sth September. Kindly look up tho 'Westminster Gazette' of 22nd July, ■ which is said to contain statement issued by you in which among other things it is said that we require la- . : .bour to help to pay interest on our .inflated debt, which is said to bo . rapidly; that we need an- . other million people in the cities-and ' two millions on tho land. Tho statement also says that they are badly . needed, and that if the millions mentioned were hero to-morrow there .would be ample work for all. Please let me have a full report by cablo." .The following'was tho High Commissioner's reply:— "Re 'Westminster Gazette' July 22. Had not • seen this lintil • receipt of your telegram of the fifth September. The statement was not made by me. - It was an extract froto 'Otago Witness,' May 10th, issued by our advertising agents, who select paragraphs from New Zealand papers for circulating, first submitting them for approval. This was not dons in'tho present case." - Where the Paragraph Started. The Prime Minister, continuing, said!e had found in the "Otago Witness," of May 10, a paragraph under the heading "Farm and Station. Notes on Rural Topics. Need for'lmmigration," which lad been republished word for word in the "Westminster Gazette." Ab lie had expected, it had been found that tho ' High Commissioner lad nothing to do with the statement. Tho incident showed that when sucl statements got into print in the Old Country they were likely to create a wrong impression. It seemed extraordinary that an Opposition journal should re-issue a paragraph which originated from another Opposition paper, describing a policy which tho Government had never authorised. It should have known that the Government had not in any way altered its policy of assisting in a reasonable way a limited number of people to emigrate to New Zealand in a limited period. He described tho action of Tire Dominion as most unfair to tho High Commissioner, and ho hoped that those ■ rosponsible would make the amende honorable. It was, to his mind, unfair journalism. Tho paper doubtless knew, or should have known, that the paragraph originated in the "Witness." Tim Dominion would have a file of tho "Witness" in ife office. Issued by Advertising Agents. Tho Leader of tho Opposition: I suppose the Prime Minister will not deny ■ that the paragraph did appear in, tlio "Westminster Gazette." Sir Josepl Ward: It.is on extract from ■ tho "Otago Witness." Mr. Massey: It appears-to'have come : from the High Commissioner's Office. The Prime Minister, expressed tho opinion that no rational' person would have believed that the High-Commissioner had issued a statement that was too.6illy and ' stupid for words. In reply to questions, Sir Josopi Ward said that tho paragraph had been issued by advertising agents, who ..were entirely outside tho High Commissioner's Office. He presumed they were .paid on a percentage basis, according to tie amount of matter published. Mr., Russell (Avon) 'said he had a copy of tho " Westminster ■ Gazette" of July 22, and the paragraph there was precisely as read by tho Prime - Minister from tho "Otago Witness." He ; censured The Dominion for reprinting it for the purposo of damaging the Government. To Prevent Misleading. Statements. Mr. D. M'Lai-cn (Wellington East), said le willingly accepted tho statement that ,'the paragraph was not issued from the High Commissioner's Office. He had heard of such misleading statements be- , fore, and ho asked- whether something • could not be done to check them. Sir Joseph Ward said the High. Commissioner and his stall wero doing all tlicy could to carry on their work as Kitisfactoril.y as possible in the'interests . of the country. The general position as , to advertising in London was that thore were many large advertising agent 3, and advertisements were sent' through one of those agents in order to obviato tho necessity of keeping a special staff at tho High Comriiissioner's office, and sending the, advertisements separately to papers in different places, 'lie agents received a. commission or a discount on advertisements appearing in tho papers. Tho, High Commissioner had no power to prevent the of misleading statements like tho one in question. Tho file of the "Otago Witness" went to London, and newspapers there would print extracts without caring whether they wero right or wrong. .Mr. M'Laren: But it was printed as coming from the High Commissioner. Sir Joseph Ward: "It did not come from him. Ho says so in ffis telegram." . The Government conld not stop that sort . of thing appearing, because they did not ! nee it until it was printed. Were They Paid? Mr. J. Allen (Bruce) said The DonixroN appeared to havo made a perfectly fair ' quotation, and there was nothing to lead one to suppose that The Dominion knew that the paragraph had first appeared'in the "Otago Witness." It seemed to him that the advertising agents would not cut out paragraphs from tho New Zea- j land papers and send tliem to London ' papers unless they were paid for doing , 60. There was evidently somo laxity, j and if this work was to' bo continued, j and if these mon were to be paid for < making these extracts there ought'to'be i some control over them. Would the Prime Minister take steps to ensure that none of the paragraphs were paid for if they did not go through tho High Commissioner's Office? "Absolutely Incorrect." j The Primo Minister said the para- • graphs, were not paid for, and were not j advertisements. Ho had ascertained that , Tiifi Dominion, in going to tho wild extent it had done during lis abscncc from the country, had boer. doing its own party harm, and had bees doing his party good. Ho had been told by peoplo in Wellington that anonymous letters in great numbers Lad boen manufactured, and put into tho ; papoT. The hon. member'for Wellington j North could tell them something, about that if it would not bo e breach of confi- . denco. i Mr. Herdman: I can tell you that what yoii say is absolutely untrue. . Sir Joseph Ward: Mr. Speaker, I move ■ that those words bo taken down. , Tho Speaker: Tho hon. member must first bo asked to withdraw tho words. i Mr. Herdman: I withdraw, and I .will say "instead that what tho Primo Minister said is absolutely incorrect. The Primo Minister:' I accept that statement, and I am very glad the hon. member has shown that he has knowledgo which enables him to givo a positive as- 1 nurance as to what occurs there. (Mini&. J terial laughter.) I . The Prime Minister then read portions : of The Dominion article, including the ] following: "Wo can only sit and staro at ' the statement, and struggle back to nor- i mal by reading this passago in an editor- ' ial in the Lyttelton Times of Saturday last." - _ ! Concerning this. Sir Josepl Ward ex- 1 claimed, ''Fancy tho poor chaps who have < to carry out tho awful policy of this i papor. "They have to staro and fall back.

J npon another paragraph to recover them--3 selvos." Wonlil the member for Wellington North (tho Prime Minister continued) pay lio could support n pape- that attributed to him (tho ,I'rime Minister) statements liko that in th 6 paragraph without any inquiry? Comment should bo made by , those Against whom such unfair criticism l was directed. No doubt they would read in The Dominion to-morrow "The Prime Minister in a terrible' rage." 110 was really quite calm. Any ordinary man would have lost his temper. 110 thought tho paper slioull make the "amende honorablo" to tho Iligh Commissioner. For his own part, ho always acknowledged 1 when ho was wrong. A member: Why you would bo doing nothing else. Sir Joseph Ward: I am so seldom wrong ' that I can't remember the last time. I Mr. Fisher: You havo done moro to i advertise Tim Dominion than any other . man in New Zealand. ' . TJio Primo Minister: I'm very glad. It 1 needs it. Tho matter tlien dropped.