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Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1525, 7 January 1879, Page 2

A puff paragraph in the columns of the “Times” this morning reminds us that wo have omitted to notice tho fact that the “ Star ” is now printed upon a larger sheet of paper than formerly. It is well to bo concise in these matters, and therefore wo prefer to state the exact change made by our contemporary to using the more general expression “enlarged,” a term that might convey an idea of improvement that would, bo unwarranted by the actual alteration. It gives us small concern whether the Gloucester street journal is printed on a page of forty by twenty-four inches, or a similar number of feet, but unfortunately no change takes place in the size or make-up of tho paper referred to, but the occasion is taken not only to puff up the enterprise and liberality of its proprietors but to reflect by insinuations upon ourselves. Now we naturally object to being made a foil, even to enhance our adversary’s brilliancy, and therefore to obtain immunity from this particular annoyance in future —if possible—we intend to say a few words in reply to the covert sneers that graced the “ Star” columns upon the occasion of its first issue on its state of expansion. The reason set forth by the proprietor of our contemporary for the change he has deemed it advisable to make is because in the old form it was frequently necessary to omit “our leader.” The amount of injury inflicted upon tho community by this omission it is, of course, hard to estimate correctly, but in one instance that has been brought under our notice it has been very serious. An old gentleman, resident upon the east belt troubled with chronic asthma, finds our contemporary’s leaders and invaluable soporific, and when the journal appeal's without the nightly dose he finds it very difficult indeed to get sleep. For this old sufferer’s sake we trust that in its larger form the “ Star” will never have to omit its leader. We entertain grave fears that the increased demand upon the literary procreativeness of our contemporary entailed by the change made will be in excess of the ability to supply, and that such being the case the reprehensible custom of borrowing will bo largely resorted to. The fear is rendered tangible by the fact that the article now under comment contains a very palpable plagiarism. Speaking of its policy, the “ Star ” says—“ We have been the advocates of largo views and liberal politics, and have sedulously sought to deal with the great subjects affecting the progress of the human race.” Now, we have certainly heard this somewhere before—either upon the platform, or in the House of Representatives—and we advise our contemporary to bo very careful about appropriating further instalments from tho same source, because Sir George Grey holds a monopoly of the “great subjects affecting tho progress of tho human race,” and ho will not, for one moment, tolerate any infringement on his patent rights. As for the policy boasted of, that is too well known to require description. So far as the present government is concerned, it has been as mild and as liberal as that of the good man who contented himself with reading a lecture on honesty to the burglars who were plundering his master’s house. The alteration in the size of our contemporary will not immediately effect any change in the size of the Globe. Every man has hie own notions of the best manner of conducting his business. The pastrycook does not sella large pieforapenny until it acquires age and staleness sufficient to render it impossible to get the price charged for it when fresh, and upon precisely the same business principles we intend to study quality rather than quantity, and by supplying the freshest and best information procurable make our paper good value for the price it is sold at. The aim of the proprietors of tho Globe will be in the future as in the past to supply its readers with the very latest intelligence from all parts of the world, and to effect this, arrangements hare been made with tho best acknowledged nevrs agencies in Australia and throughout New Zealand. Our cable news hitherto has boon well in advance of any published in other journals, and no expense will be spared to male this a feature of the future. If our readers will carefully compare dates they will see this is no idle boast, and thus leaving the respective merits of our contemporary and ourselves to the public discrimination, we refrain from saying anything further, lest we fall into the error we deplore in others of protesting too much and blowing our own trumpet somewhat too loudly.