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Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 101, 30 April 1909, Page 3

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» ■ THE TRADES COUNCIL AND THE PRESS. "MUST BE SHIELDED FROM RIDICULE." At the Trades and Labour Council last evening, Mr. W. T. Young, in accordance with notice previously given, moved : "That the resolution passed admitting representatives of tho press to the deliberations of the council be rescinded, in so far as it related to representatives of the capitalistic press." Mr. A- Parlane strenuously opposed the motion. He had his doubts at the time of the wisdom of the proposal. He objected to the suggestion in the motion to put one section of the press out and to admit another. How would they like the employers to put out their reporters ? If the reporters were put out, then other people should be put out. Exception had been taken to some of the reports; bet the reporters were not to blame and the editors knew that the public wanted spicy details. He trusted that the press would always show up the council to the , public : it would niako them think a little. No debate could take place without there was a perfect fusilade of silly interjections. It was enough to make one wild. Mr. Naughion held /that the proceedings had been accurately reported. There wat> a silly party in the council who made the proceedings ridiculous. Their plaje was. the street corner. There one need not listen to their vaporous nothings. The press had not had a fair trial ; but the proceedings had been reported fairly. The council could protect itself in discussing private matters by going into committee. If the meetings were closed to the press, then there would be "coloured" reports of the proceedings' sent to the press. Mr. Shannon rose to speak, but was ruled out of order. Mr. Dowdall : In this discussion The president (Mr. W. Noot) : What are you going to say? Mr. DowdaJl ; I was going to support the motion. The president : You are out of order. Mr. Young said Mr. Dowdall desired to bring the council into disrepute after what he had said at the Queen's statue. Mr. Dowdall rose to a point of order. At the statue, he said, he- was. a Socialist; at 'the rwmcil he was a trade unionist. Mr. Young cared not what the press said about him, but he desired to shield the Trades Council from ridicule. The reports' of the council, as published in the press, were correct, so far as the reporters were concerned ; but when the reports got to the editors or sub-editors they dealt with them. He had listened to debates of graat interest which had' never been reported, but other matter had b'jer- reported for the purpose of bringing the council's deliberations into ridicule. The press of Wellington was not for the poor, for labour, or for the downtrodden, but for itself. He did not blame the press, for it was to its interest to bring Labour into as much ridicule as it could. He favoured giving the Labour paper — their own paper — all the opportunity possible to make progress in the cause of Labour. If the council rallied round it and gave its reports to that paper they would make a great success of it. If they had the lepresentatives of their own paper and of the capitalistic . papers present the public would read the reports of the council the next day in the capitalistic press, but the public would have to wait v.ntil the next Saturday for the Labour paper. More business was done before the press was admitted to the council than after. Some members talked to the papers for the sake of publicity, others were silent, because they did not wish their names to appear in print. A voice : They can havo their names kept out. Mr. Young ': Is a member to go down on his knees to ask the reporters to keep out his name '! The motion was carried by 20 to 15. In future the press will not be represented.