MINISTERIAL RETICENCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3826, 23 August 1899, Page 5

MINISTERIAL RETICENCE.

The members of the Seddon Ministry, despite thaif many enlightened acts of democratic legislation, appear to be enveloped in Cimmerian darkness with regard to their duty of ‘Trusting the people” with details of their administrative doings. One .Minister has frankly confessed himr.clf in favour of a State I censorship of the press, akin to that of Russia, and his influence has probably infected his .colleagues, until now the affairs of the country arc managed with a degree of secrecy that suggests underhand work when there is not the least ground for suspicion. Dignity must bo maintained, or course, and reticence must sometimes bs observed; but as certain Australian journalists found a few months agO, Now Zealand Ministers push their dignity to the edge of burlesque, and their reticence to the point of absurdity. • A f(»w recent instances —-scores might be adduced, if necessary —will illustrate what we moan. No later than yesterday morning we published a cablegram from Sydney, making known to the public that the Governments of New South Wales and New Zealand had been negotiating in respect to the importation of fruit into this colony. The Reid Government had been urging , the abolition of the restrictions imposed by the New Zealand Government on the importation of fruit from the other colonies, with a view'to guarding against the introduction of insect pests. Now it appears that Mr Seddon, in a recent letter, has avowed his willingness to admit any fruit from New South Wales which is accompanied by the certificate of a Government Inspe :c >r <u that colony testifying to its having been thoroughly fumigated. Why should the Premier of New Zealand have thought fit to withhold the action of the Government in tins matter from the people, so that the first intimation they received of it should bo by cablegram from Sydney? Again, wo have received intelligence within the past week from Melbourne and Sydney concerning the action of iho New Zealand Government in connection with the Eastern Cable Company. Last Saturday our cablegrams informed us that Mr Seddon had some days previously expressed dissatisfaction with the constitution of the board to be set- up to control the laying and management of the'Pacific cable. Why bad the intelligence bf Mr Seddon’s action to come from Sydney? Why were the people and press of this colony domed information concerning a question in which every business man in this colony is more or

less interested ? There was also palpable lack of confidence shown with regard to the- message received from Mr Ileid, Premier of New South V/ales, refuting Mr Soddon’s speech on the finances of that colony. Mr Reid requested that his reply to Mr Seddon should bo published; but all that tho Premier vouchsafed to the press war; a paraphrased version of the cablegram he had received from his brother Premier. In this Mr Seddon did not do that which is likely to inspire confidence between Himself and Mr Reid, but tho irrational habit of withholding all information appears to have obscured every other consideration.

In other colonies the Premiers do not need to be asked for information. They have a regard for the press and tho public, apart from all minor considerations, and leave a memorandum with their secretaries or with the heads of tho 'departments to convey intelligence on public matters to the accredited representatives of the newspapers. By their cavalier treatment of press reporters, New Zealand Ministers may imagine they are snubbing impertinent inquirers, or maintaining their own dignity, or punishing newspapers whose political views are not in accord with Ministerial ideas. ' In reality they are doing nothing of the kind. They arc simply giving to the world a demonstration cf their failure to grasp a plain •democratic principle, .and are flouting and insulting the people; for whom thenewspapers eater. We,are sorry to have to writ© in this way oi an Administration that in other respects claims support and esteem; but it is necessary that the public should . understand that it is not through lack of 'journalistic enterprise on this side of the Tasman Sea that so many, items of New Zealand political news have to be got from the other side. ‘ lt:o