Truth LOFTY "LUFFY!"

NZ Truth, Issue 130, 14 December 1907, Page 4

Truth

LOFTY "LUFFY!"

Published Eveey Saturday Morn, ing at Luke's lane (off Mannersstreet), Wellington, N.Z." Subscription (m advance), 13s. per annum. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1907.

# The ■ debasing and demoralising influence of present-day : party and par-ish-pump politics on what quite a number were wont to regard as a good sor.t, of chap, has seldom manifested itself m such shape and form as that which has attended the Hon. R. A. Loughnan, M.L.C., since Joe Ward elevated him to the Legislative Council. "Luffy," of course, "might find it rather inconvenient to term his ascent m politics an elevation, but their the said "Luffy" will surely not take it amiss m "Truth" employing a word that signifies a state m which the Hon. "Luffy" is no stranger to, even though he now is a member of an august "Senate." From the floor of that Senate "Luffv" has lately dared to insult a body of men of a profession to which Lough-j nan himself belongs, but of which he is no shining light, and, if guided by the standard of sagacity, is no better,, and certainly no worse, than his ink-slinging brethreh. Now, the learned and statesmanlike utterances of the said Hon. "Luffy" do not get half the prominence they deserve, j which must, perforce, be particularly galling to an ex-editor of such a powerful factor m present-day politics as the "New Zealand Times," though, of course, one can hardly overlook the 'circumstance that m the days when "Luffy" was the man behind' the gun, the Legislative Council got far less notice m the columns of the "Times" than it did ; and does under his successor's regime. The potency of the press m giving publicity to Parliamentary

proceedings aad to ensure political popularity, is naturally recognised. The politician of to-day doesn't mind what the press says of him, be it good, bad, or indifferent. Much more would he prefer to be, politically roasted than to be silently or contemptuously ignored. R.A.L. more than any other member of the Council knows the value of a par m the paper, and it was, no doubt, this knowledge, this craving for popularity with one section or other of the community that led the Hon. "Luffy," from his place m "the Council, to preface his remarks to the Public Service Superannuation ' Fund with the following (vide "Hansard") :— - Sir, the press gallery has been filled with the representatives of the press after a long struggle— an historic struggle on the part of the press — to have the public/ informed as to what is going on m the legislative chambers of the Legislature. Now, Sir, after all that struggle — which maintains some of , the proudest records of the press, justified m their sufferings and their endeavors by all the benefits which they give to the public through heing taken into the confidence of the Legislature — here we have this Bill, one ,bf the most important ever brought before this Legislature, fraught with the economic problem of preparing for old age, partly by the effort of the individual m the service of the State, and partly by the State itself — a thing which is m tire hands of everyone— and I find, Sir, that there is not one member of the newspaper press m the gallery. I see two of them have arrived, but they are not m a position to report what is going on. They ought to be m their places. After all the history that we are proud of, here we are at this time, with one of the most important .measures that is comine; before us, and there was not a single Pressman m his place m the gallery ; and to-morrow morning they will pretend to inform . the public of what has taken place m the Council. Now, Sir, I pass to another thing. . The Hon. Mr Boehan : Really, I ■sympathise, with the nressmen. Ithink they have done splendid work. Mr Beehah, is, indeed, to be credited with a more -than average share of real horse-Sense, but let us hark back to "Luffy," and see for one moment who and m what this snuffling scold is. He is a journalist. He is, we have been told, blessed with a facile pen,/ one of New Zealand's .most, graceful writers, so graceful, indeed, or ornate, so 'flowery, so confusingly head-achy that it is actually on record that some compositors at the Government Printing Office stopped once with "Luffy V "copy" before them and requested that the writer should revise it so as to make it read sense. Again, might we ask, is this "Luffy," who accuses press reporters of pretending to inform the public of what is passing m the "cemetery," the same learned, flowery and ornate "Luffy" who was so really hard-up, who could not find a market for his literary wares, who ,accompanied the little \,heh Duke of York and his lady from one end of New Zealand to the other and wrote real royal loyal effusive accounts of the tour, afterwards published by a really loyal to royalty Government m book form at an enormous expense, the bill of which was footed by the tax-payer ? Is this the same "Luffy" that had that self-same little writing-up job | put m his way by the Government ? "Truth" is afraid it is. And, again, is this Hon. Loutrhnan the same j "Luffy" who, as R.A.L., wrote gallery notes for the "New Zfcnlnnd [Times," and who, even now, -Ledsj Jative Councillor though he be, still contributes flowery and ornate accounts of Parliamentary and Other stuff of the journalese order for various paper* m the Dominion '? Once j again, "Truth" is afraid it is. Now, what we do seriously want to know is the Hon, Legislative Councillor, is, is the Hon. Legislative Councillor journalist, who only of recent date has not been ashamed to seek and receive assistance from pressmen of the Gallery, who have gathered round him and sworn that they would not see him stuck when purveying: political palmlam to the coun- '*•'■ »ress, even though it meant that they neglected the Gallery and would have to pretend to inform the public of what had taken place.) even m the Council ? Again. "Truth" is thoroughly satisfied that "Luffy" the Councillor and "Luffv" the journalist are one and the same individual, and "Truth" is afraid that the Hon. "Luffy". has made an egregriotis ass of himself, and was not quite . himself when he so prefaced his said remarks, which weren't anything above the ordinary, and "Truth," ere it be too late, accordingly advises "Luffy" not to act the giddy goat; any more, and to be simply "Luffv." a real good fellow journalistically sneakone-. His political and other sins, will be forgiven him. but this late outburst is like biting the hand that fed him.