PRAISE FOR THE PRESS

Evening Star, Issue 17284, 24 February 1920, Page 9

PRAISE FOR THE PRESS

AND SOME CRITICISM

BY THE PRIME MINISTER.

The Prime Minister was present at the opening of the annual conference of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association at Wellington yesterday. He was welcomed by the president of the association (Mr P. Scligj. l Mr Massey said he realised the importance of leatherings of Pressmen. The i Press Conference "of 1909 had proved a very valuable influence in the cultivation of sound Imperialism. He believed New' Zealand journalists who attended that conference and who subsequently wrote from the Imperial standpoint m thoinewspapers had been a factor in providing a basis for the fine effort made bv the Dominion during the war. New' Zealand Pressmen had not much to learn from Pressmen of the United Kingdom. Ho would say in this connection that ha did not like the idea of newsDaper combinations for political purposes on the lines made familiar by tiio Northcliffe Press. It had been the" boast of tho men. who controlled tho Northcliffe Press that they could make and unmake Governments and influence the course of political life in Britain. That was not a desirable state of affairs, and not Rood for the Empire. It was true that the Northcliffe newspapers had done some very good work during the war, particularly" m 1916, 'but the direction of public affairs by newspapers was not the right thing. _The cable news service from Britain to Now Zealand, said Mr Massoy, was quite good, though occasionally it contained traces of " inspiration " ; but the news sent from New Zealand to Britain was inadequate in quantity and poor in quality. It often was' ludicrous. Australia was securing a great deal of publicity in the British Press through wellorganised channels, and Canada, was the same. New Zealand seemed left in the cold ; and it would be necessary if proper publicity could not be obtained an.v etW way to a»Ssige for the despatch to Britain of a weekly news cablegram from New Zealand. Ttlis news could then le handed by the High Commissioner to anv newspapers that would publish it. There should be no political color about such a message, and he would prefer to have it sent by the Press.