OUR READERS’ OPINIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3586, 11 March 1914, Page 3

OUR READERS’ OPINIONS.

THE CORRESPONDENCE ON THE S.M ELL N riBA-NTE.

[TO THE EDITOR] Sir, —Despite- Mr E. H. Mann’.s v tv at tilt', local press in i»u-h!ishiietkrs bearing on the stink nuisance, i think all fair-minded people will .rejoice that. Gisborne is blessed lvitli newspapers that cannot be said bv ariv stretch of imagination to cater for one class ; i the community only, as is unfortunately only too common in many parts of the civilised -world. In this connection I might mention that only last Saturday a Wellington journal accused the Gisborne papers of fighting shy of the question, as if it were n sacrilege to mention if. flow the editors of the Gisborne papers are to sataisty Mr Mann and your contemporary at Wellington is a conundrum. I’erhaps Mr Mann’s real .grievance is the criticism bestowed on our public men. and if my memory serves me correctly, this gentleman lias on more than one occasion had bus actions as a member of local bodies criticised in the local press. Whether he winced under tho literary lash <- not J cannot say, but let us hope lie did. 1 remember when Mi- Maun was a borough councillor, at a time when local jealousies and a pernicious party spirit were rampant, and when freedom of discussion was the order of the day. The press published the debates, and though they were certainly amusing in a sense, it was plain that the limits of free speech were being abused, yet Mr Mann raised no protest against the newspapers in faithfully recording councillors’ utterances, or the criticisms that followed by irate correspondents.’ letters to tliii editors. 1 might mention that Mr Lysnar was Mayor at that time. it is to be hoped the day is far distant when the people will be debarred irorn ventilating their grievances through the press and exposing tine actions of it.; yublic men in shirking their responsibdites. We owe the press a deep debt of gratitude, as it is the only weapon we possess to keep our representatives up to their election pledges, and if this weapon is wrested from us we may as well disband our local bodies, '['rusting you will not be influenced by Mr Mann’s remarks in this connection.— 1 am, etc. FREEDOM. Lowe Street, March 10.