The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1903.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8294, 24 September 1903, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1903.

The House of Representatives has asserted its authority and vindicated its Standing Orders by fining the publisher of the New Zealand Times £25 for the publication of a document which was under the consideration of a Committee of the House, and presumably secret, and fining the Parliamentary reporter of the offending journal £ls for being guilty of contempt in the declining to disclose the source whence he obtained the document. The House is quite right to uphold its honor and assert its majesty, and is, indeed, much in need of guarding these attributes as well as it precious privileges. It lias, or should have, a dignity to preserve, but it is questionable if it has succeeded in preserving it in connection with this matter. The spectacle of a House of Parliament fining a newspaper reporter for declining to disclose a source of information is not likely to imprccs anyone with a feeling of admiration or awe; but whsn the fine is accompanied by an announcement that in any future similar case an offending reporter will be disqualified from a seat in tue Press gallery the proceeding -wears such a strong resemblance to a ridiculous exercise of authority that people are more likely to give way to hilarity than to be awed by the magnificent majesty of Pai--liament. If members have any thought tliat such a threat will restrain the enterprising newspaper man, they are likely to make the discovery sooner or later that they have made a mistake. The document, publication of which has caused so much perturbation to the House and entailed an inquiry bv a Committee of Privilege, was in the custody of a Committee of the House, and if it was of such a nature that it was necessary to keep its contents a profound secret reasonable care should have been exercised to guard it. But nothing of the kind seems to have been done, and, indeed, the document was really not of 6uch a, character that its contents should be withheld from the •public. It is stated that copies of it were •left lying about, and if that be true then no serious blame can he Laid upon anj'one for its contents being disclosed. Whatever •fault there has been in the matter rests with the Cbinqnittee for having failed to appreciate their full responsibility. We have no sympathy with journalists who resort to prying and improper practices to pierce State secrete, but it has not been shown that anything of the kind occcured in the present "case. All things considered, tte conclusion must be reached that the offending newspaper has come better out of the affair than has the offended House.