PRESS ASSOCIATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 200, 24 July 1926, Page 3

PRESS ASSOCIATION

TELEGRAPHED REPORTS. MR HOLLAND’S COMPLAINT. [By Telegraph.—Special to Standard.] WELLINGTON, July 23. When the vote for Post and Telegraph salaries came up for discussion in the House of Representatives today Mr H. E. Holland, Leader ot the Opposition, moved “that the vote he reduced by £5 to indicate that it should be made a condition of the substantial concessions to the Press Association in the matter.of telegraph charges that there shall be no suppression of vital facts by the Press Association or its agents, and that the association shall accord equal treatment to all parties in its political reporting by telegram. He stated that there was a loss to the department ot about £60,000 on Press Association messages since that was so,- and the country found that amount of money, it would be a fair thing to insist that the Press Association itself insofar as the matter it sent out under tins concession should maintain the standard or fairness as between the political parties and as between other individuals. He again referred in detail to the Dunedin incident in regard to which he said an important statement made by Mr Grounds about dairy control had not befen sent by the Press Association. He also said that agents suppressed matter occasionally; he had had experience of it himself. _ The Prime Minister said the Tress Association did not send the cable to London to which Mr Grounds replied. Mr Holland: No, but when the reply was received they suppressed it. Mr Coates: Why shouldn’t they < Mr Holland: Because it was a matter of vital importance. Mr Coates: Why not make them pay as much as the other chap had to payr Mr Holland: Surely the public press of this country is concerned about giving such a reply to the people. Tho Postmaster-General (the Hon. W. Nosworthy) said that so far as the Government was concerned all that was asked for was a fair and straigh forward report of what was said to be furnished to everyone in the country. Mr Holland: I accept that statement unreservedly. , The Postmaster-General continued that tho Government was anxious to see that the money allowed to the Press Association should be used so that everyone, whether friend or toe ot the Government, should receive a correct report. He had received a copy of the instructions sent by the head office of the Press Association to tho agent at Dunedin, where the chairman of the Dairy Control Board spoke. This notified that Mr Grounds was to speak at either Christchurch or Dunedin in reply to the cable sent to London. The writer (the manager ot the Press Association) refused to publish the correspondence m its pnginai form as it was considered libellous, but expressed no objection to the seeing of a telegram stating the tacts ot the denial. The telegram, would, however, have to be of a general nature and nothing to associate the association with the affair. The only telegram that was sent of the speech r ported Mr Grounds as having said that the press criticism ot tho board was at times bordering on unfair tactics. None could say that this was a fair denial of the cable sent to the Daily Mail. The agent at Dunedin w r as responsible for not sending Hie message as he was asked to cio./vr Ail© only way the Press Association ; could bo held responsible was through tho failure of one of its officers to execute instructions. This was tho attitude of the Government and a similar ■stand would be taken up in respcVst to anyone else in ai similar position, in this attitude ho had the backing or his colleagues. In referring to the cost of £60,000 mentioned by Mr Holland, Mr Nosworthy said practically as much as this went in a year in telegrams by members of Parliament. “We only want fair play, ’ said Mr Nosworthy, “for everyone, politically or in any other way., I would regret very much to read that tho Leader ox the Opposition had made a speech and that we could not get a real version of it. One likes to know wliat is on whether he agrees or not.” Mr W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) said he was concerned with the instructions the Press Association sent to its" agents during the election campaign. He understood the instructions were that they should , send only the speeches of the party leaders. In that respect an injustice bad been done to the party of which he was a member. He had represented the leader of his party in the North Island, and because he was not the actual leader lie was ignored. He claimed that his speeches should have been reported under the circumstances. Hon. W. Nosworthy: Tho lion, member might get a whole page. Mr Veitch: If it went by value I would get tlie whole of the newspaper to myself. (Laughter.) Mr Holland said that m view of the clear statement of the Minister he would not press his amendment, which was then put to the House and lost on the voices.