DEMISE OF THE OLDEST NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXX, Issue 5117, 16 January 1874, Page 2

DEMISE OF THE OLDEST NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL.

Tnr Nehon Ktuiiniucr, the oldest paper in the colony, has ceased to exist. The history of this paper is a remarkable one. It started aa a weekly in IS 12. It expanded into a bi-weekly, and was deemed for n long time one of the ablest, if not the most ably,written newspaper in the colony. In 18(53, in order, as its proprietary thought, to crush a vigorous opposition, it became a tn-weekly journal, considerably increasing its expenses without adding to the prico of its subscription; and at the snmc time reducing the price of its advertisements. After about three years of this issue it relapsed into a bi-weekly, at, of course, a reduced price. Tins continued for about two years more, its opponents making no change except a small eduction in the terms of subscription At last the Emiiiincr sank into a weekly, which af'tor some eix months' tri.il ro appeared n« a penny laily consi^linif only of half a sheet of two pages, and was tho most extraordinary looking sheet that ever issued from the press. In this form it had only a brief experience of a few months, when once again it returned to the bi weekly issue. Some bi'x years ago it blossomed into a daily morning journal, at a penny, at a price too low and on a style altogether to expensive to prove profitable ; and now it eeisea to exist. For years it was the organ of a party which had done great mischief in the colony; it was essentially n war journal, and from first to last assailed tho policy of progress, and aa the Stafford, Richmond, and Monro party by whom it was largely owned, and whoso representative it was, lost caste and power in Nelson province, no did the organ act itself against the progress of the colony, and for many years systematically misrepresented that | policy and distorted facts to gain a party end,as do other journals we wot of falling in the public estimation until now, by mismanagement, and sacrificing to part}' what was meant for the public, it has come to its end. The JCn< miner at one time did good service in the early days, but it lost its liberalism, and became the , instrumontof a nirrow party, and through that, and mistaking the wants of tho. place and the costs of a daily morning paper, it has consequently been driven from tho field. *