MAKERS OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20324, 3 August 1929, Page 10

MAKERS OF AUCKLAND.

BY F.W.W.

EARLY NEWSPAPERS. ,r A VARIETY OF JOURNALS. A VERY QUAINT IMPRINT, i I* >, *' PRINTED IN A MANGLE." 'i No. XXI,

/ Journalism began early in Auckland. There had boon newspapers, indeed, pubj lished at tho Bay of Islands before the / now capital was chosen, and one of them, j the New Zealand Government Gazette, | printed rib first by tho mission press at . Paihia, was brought to Auckland in July ; 1811. Then the Auckland Newspaper j Company was formed, and published tho Now Zealand Herald and Auckland Gazette, which lasted les3 than a year, f This was tho first publication in the city to deal with news. It was printed by j' Mr. J. J. Moore, who is said to have been | broughb from Tasmania by tho governing f authorities in 1840 to be tho first GovernI inent Printer'. Quito 'a number ot publications that i proved ephemeral appeared in the first | ten years of tho city. Ono of the most curious \vas tho Auckland Tiinos, first j published in August, 1842. The imprint quaintly tells us that it was "printed in ! a mangle, and published by John Moore, j for Henry Falwasscr, solo proprietor." i The Times survived for two or tlireo ! years, and was a queer-looking production, i in tho printing of which types of all sorts ! and size? wero employed. Very often ! through tho dearth of white paper, it is j eaid to been printed on rough wrap- | ping-paper and oven blotting-paper.

-'Journals and Editors. From 1343 there was a Southern Cross, issued weekly, and at fust owned by Mr. W. Brown, of t lie firm of Brown, Campbell and Company. Its publication ceased for a time, but not long afterwards it was revived. Eventually it passed under lease to Messrs. R. J. Creigliton—afterwards New Zealand Government agent at Sail Francisco —Scales and C. Tothill. Its early editors were Dr. Martin, Messrs. Terry, D. Burn, T. S. Forsaith, Hugh C'arleton, Cremhton, J. Macabe, H. 11. Lusk, Julius—later Sir Julius —Vogel and I>. M. Luckie, who was the first Conimissioner, of the Government Life Insurance Department. The Southern Cross became a fixed institution/ and in 1863 becamo the Daily Southern Cross, the first daily paper in the province. In 1876 it was purchased by Mr, A. G. Horton, just previously one of the proprietors of the Thames Advertiser, who shortly afterwards entered into partnership with Messrs. W. S. and J. L. Wilson, who had inherited from their father, Mr. W. 0, Wilson, the New Zealand Herald. By amalgamation of the two* papers the Cross went out of existence? The first editor of the New Zealand Herald was Mr. David Burn. Later editors included Mr. W. Berry, an old Scottish and colonial journalist, Mr. W. S. Douglas and Mr. W. Lane, bringing tho succession down to a comparatively recent date.

The New Zealander. Meanwhile, parallel with the career of the Southern Cross, there had been the New Zealander, originally owned by Mr. John Williamson, afterwards superintendent of the province, which began in 1845, first as a weekly. Mr. W. C. Wilson joined Mr Williamson in partnership at 4n early stage, but in 1863 Mr. Wilson withdrew from the firm, through differences with his partner, as to the method of conducting the Waikato War, and immediately founded the New Zealand Herald. Among the editors of the New Zealander were Mr. Terry, Drs. Pollen, Bennett and Kidd, and Dr. J. Giles. It ceased publication in 1866. In the early seventies Auckland had for periods of about 12 months in each case n Morning News and a Morning Advertiser. . /

Of evening papers and weekly papers published in sectional interests there were many in early Auckland. An Evening Post, issiied in 1866, had fi brief career. Then in 1868 began an Evening News, absorbed in 1870 by the Star, which was started in that year by Messrs. Reed and Brett, and which also swallowed up in 1874 the Echo, and later was for a time opposed by the Evening Bell and Telephone. ""Among the numerous weeklies there was an amusing race in 1878 between Messrs. John Blame and J. U. Wickham, both of whom were starting papers, as to which would bo first in registering the t itlo " Free Tress " for his bantling. Mr. Brame won, whereupon Mr. Wickham issued in, the following week the I'rcc Lance.

An Exciting- Experience. One exciting experience befel the conHnctors of the New Zealander in 1864, immediately' after the disaster to the British 'arms at Gate Pa, Tauranga, in a hostile demonstration made by sailors from H.M.S. Esk, then in harbour, on account of statements made by a contributor to the paper as to their conduct in the engagement. The offending article was ono printed shortly after the engagement, describing a visit to Te Papa Cemetery, Tauranga, and contained a statement that it was to be feared that Captain Hamilton, of the Esk, who was killed at the pa, was cruelly deserted by his men, and that they were seized with panic, and fled. Before 10 a.m. on the morning of Monday, June 6, 1864—tiie article appeared on* Saturday, Juno 4—about 50 men from the' Esk, bearing hauling tackle, appeared at the office of the New Zealander on the southern side of Upper Shortlaud btreet, and demanded to see the proprietor. Mr. Williamson was not on the premises, but then tHey called for a retraction of the statement, a reporter promised to publish any. contradiction or correction the men had to give. The sailors thereupon withdrew, threatening that unless a contradiction were issued before noon they would return and destroy the promises. On Mr. Williamson being communicated with, he forbade the issue of anything whatever under threat or compulsion. He firmly declined to publish anything on tho authority/of tho paper until ho could communicate with I lie writer of the article, who was not in Auckland, but offered to publish immediately any coun-ter-statement from the ship. The Sailors' Explanation. The sailors drew up n statement which showed that (lie panic was not caused 11y the naval brigade, but by a mistake of the 68th Regiment in rushing in at tho opposite side of the pa. and being taken for ttin enemy returning; that the "retire" was then sounded, and in the rush the sailors were dragged away from their fallen commander. That statement was issued by the New Zealander. as the version of the sailors, and the incident closed. « Tho facts as just, given are nn the authority of the New Zealander itself, but the New Zealand Herald gives much the same statement, with the added detail that before opening negotiation with the office, the sailors passed a rope in by one of the office windows on the upper storey, and out at the other. (To bo continued daily.)