PRESS AND PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1649, 7 October 1903, Page 51

PRESS AND PARLIAMENT.

A JOURNALISTIC PROTEST. • Special to the “Mail.” CHRISTCHURCH, October 2. The recent proceedings against the “New Zealand Times” for breach of Parliamentary privilege formed the subject of consideration at a meeting of the Canterbury Journalists’ Unio'n held today. After a brief discussion, the following resolution was unanimously adopted: “That the members of the Canterbury Journalists’ Union of Workers, whilst recognising that the actual privileges of Parliament ought to be upheld and preservefl-, protest against the statement in the report of the Privileges Committee, presented to the House of Representatives on September 23, to the effect that in future any reporter who refuses to divulge to a committee of the House the source of any information he has received and made use of. which may he considered a breach of the privileges of the House, shall he disqualified front occupying a seat in the Press Gallery of the House; and they further protest against the statement reported to have been made on the occasion of the presentation of the report by the RightHonourable the Prime Minister to the effect that reporters are in the Press Gallery of tho House at the pleasure of the House; and they base their protests on the following, amongst other, grounds:— “(1) That the liberty of the people and the liberty of the press are so closely connected that any restrictions placed on the representatives of the press in the Press Gallery of the House must seriously affect the liberty of the people. “(2) That it is undignified on the part of the members of the House to render the discharge of tlieir duti by reporters more difficult than U- is ju* present by holding a threat over them as is done m the report already referred to. “(3) That the aforesaid threat is calculated to interfere with the fearless

discharge of their duty by the representatives of the press in the Press Gallery of the House, to make their livelihood less secure and to detrimentally aflect tho Parliament, people and press, of the colony; and “(4) That the attitude taken, up by die House and by the Right Hon. the Prime Minister is in dirtet opposition to the frequently expressed dictum of ‘trusting the people,’ whose representatives the reporters in the Press Gallery are, to almost as great an extent as their djuly elected representatives on die floor of the House. “In view of' these facts the members of this union respectfully suggest that the status of reporters in the Press Galleries of both Houses of Parliament should be placed on a more definite and! satisfactory basis than at present, and that the matter should be referred to fit joint committee. Eyrther, that in any rules or conditions drawn up by such committee 'noy restrictions should be placed on the discharge of the duties of reporters of the character indicated in the report of the Privileges Committee.”

A copy of the resolution is to be forwarded to the Right Hon the Prim® Minister, the Hon the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament, to every member' of Parliament, and also to the Chairman of the .Press Gallery of the House of Representatives.