The Press Association.

Hastings Standard, Issue 487, 27 November 1897, Page 4

The Press Association.

SEVERE STRICTURES UPON ITS CONDUCT. (N.Z. Times.) In the House on Thursday Mr Ward (on behalf of Mr Miller) asked what steps the Government intended to take to relieve the taxpayers of the colony from the payment of £26,000 annually given to the Press Association. He quoted from the report of the committee of the House which had enquired into the operations of the Association. The Premier, in reply, said when the report came down last year and it was shown that considerable objection was taken to the methods of the Association, it was hoped it would mend its ways. However, it had not done so, and its operations continue to be prejudicial to the best interests of the colony. The Association was injuring us in the colony and outside the celony. It had become simply a party machine, and instead of the public getting fair and impartial reports for its £26,000 it w r as simply paying its money for the assistance of a given party in this country. That was the position of the Press Association today, and he said, in his opinion, the Parliament would not tolerate it much longer, and steps would be taken whish would prevent this unsatisfactory state of things continuing. The Australian service was also very unsatisfactory. He noticed it when he was there for days together. Sometimes something was sent over about a child having his foot scalded, but of news with regard to the social, political and industrial life of the colony you got nothing. But it cost the

colony £26,000 a year. The whole system is wrong. In the Old Country it was the same, although he did not blame the Association for that. He said the country was getting absolutely nothing for its £26,000, but the colony was injured by the course taken, and when it was borne in mind that they only had a capital of £49, and yet had £21,000 of the accumulated moneys to the good, it was just about time that steps were taken. The Parliament gave the Association time to reflect, and he had hoped there would be a change for the better, but when it came to this that the agency was used for the puspose of making personal attacks and reflecting on people's characters, necessitating subsequent amendments and withdrawals, the question came how much longer a long - suffering people was going to stand it ? As far as this House and this country were concerned they would stand it no longer.

Later in the afternoon Mr Ward moved the adjournment of the House to enable him to call attention to the unsatisfactory maimer in which the operations of the Association were conducted. He quoted the evidence given by the proprietors of the Hastings Standard before a committee of the House, and other cases, to show that the Association was a monopolistic concern, which aimed at crushing the smaller and less wealthy papers out of existence. He then criticised the reports furnished by some of the agents of the Association, and said, " They deliberately take up sides uufairly for the purpose of damaging their political opponents, who are always on the side of the present Government." He said that those having control of the Association should reprimand their agents who used the Association for political purposes. That they did not do so showed that their actions must give pleasure to their employers. The fact remained that for some considerable time the Association had been used as a political engine tor the injury of the present Government.