The Grey River Argus FRIDAY, December 20, 1940. THE “ARGUS.”

Grey River Argus, 20 December 1940, Page 6

The Grey River Argus FRIDAY, December 20, 1940. THE “ARGUS.”

The existence of the Labour Movement as such in New Zealand does not yet extend to the length of a normal lifetime. That is one reason why its ranks in this part of the country are at present elated at such an evidence of its potency and durability as the attainment by the Dominion’s first Labour daily newspaper nf its “majority.” When the “Argus” became identified with Labour, the idea of such a venture was entirely conceived in this district, and was elsewhere deemed to be one ahead of the times too greatly to be adopted. But the West Coast always has been progressive and liberal in political and social sentiment, and the launching of a Labour newspaper has, in the. event, demonstrated beyond a doubt that such sentiment was not lacking either in determination or foresight, but was allied to a sound and practical outlook. Nothing but an intense humanitarian spirit could have moved those stalwarts in the cause of the working -class to embark on the project with no greater assets than they could look to the member of that class themselves to furnish. Other ventures of the kind have in various places been .characterised by early success without ultimate survival, and it doubtless is the thought that there is here the example of a realised ideal which renders the celebration of this paper’s twenty-first year of publication one which Labourites are conducting with such enthusiasm. It derogates nothing from the anniversary to acknowledge that the “Argus” has itself a longer history than even the Labour Movement in New Zealand. It is the oldest newspaper on the West Coast, and throughout threequarters of a century has played an influential and helpful part in the destinies of this' and neighbouring districts. In a sense, this fact has been a fortunate one, for it has served during the past generation to demonstrate that a Labour organ can serve not only a particular section, but every section in the community. There are, indeed, those dedicated to working class emancipation who see the road as one of separation from other interests, or hope for some apocalyptic transformation in society, but history lends scanty countenance to that frame of mind. Even, where there has been a’sudden transition, it either has been because ol* a peculiar psychological situation, out oi touch with the normal European tradition, or a vagary which time has duly ironed out again into normality. Hence the “Argus”/ has always borne in mind that while its function has been to educate, it cannot ignore the continuity of things, and that, in presenting the news of the da/, the object must be veracity without bias, and comprehensiveness without shallowness. In other words, while everybody else is interested in the same questions as the working class, the proper course in stating Labour’s case is to present the facts fairly and comment on those facts from the standpoint of the working class. In those,’ ventures where the Labour press i has lacked durability, the main reason has been an undue preponderance of propaganda, the

correction of which by such papers as the “Daily Herald” in London has shown the right policy. The Labourites of the West Coast have, no doubt, been fortunate in their acquisition of an organ to promote and defend their rights from the fact that thej 7 obtained one already ’established, but there is, on the other hand, little doubt that it would not otherwise have remained a source of news for the public generally had it not been taken over by the Labour Party. There, may be one personality outstanding in the incorporation of the “Argus” in the Labour Movement, the Member for Westland, who has displayed his remarkable adaptability in this respect quite as effectually and consistently as in various other activities, but the fact that the present celebration has been a possibility is due also to the intelligence, fairmindedness, and tolerant spirit not only of those whose sympathies are entirely with the Labour Party, but the community generally. Recognising this we feel confident that the occasion will be a source of gratification throughout the district, and that it will be the privilege as it will be the duty of the paper in future to promote district interests no less consistently and whole heartedly than the interests in particular of the workers throughout the country.