THE CORPORATION ADVERTISEMENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5347, 9 April 1879, Page 5

THE CORPORATION ADVERTISEMENTS.

At the City Council meeting, yesterday afterncon, the question of dupoaing of the Corporation advertisements cauoe tip for dis cuasion. The matter was dealt with in the Finance Committee's report, whiih recommended that "tenders be called for the insertion oE »11 Corporation advertisements in one daily morning newspaper in Dunedin for the term of , and that the Corporation, in accepting any tender, shall reserve ihe right of inserting advertisements deemed necessary in any newspaper in the Colony." Cr Webb said : I beg to move the adoption of that clause of the report. I think the Council will approve of this work being done by contract just ia the eatno way as most other worUa are done. I have no doabt that the newspapers in Dunedin will be glad to tender for the ordinary proclamations of the Council as they have done before. Cr Lkakv suggested that the seconder of ■the clause at the Finance Committee meeting should second Cr Webb's motion. Ho ■was present himstlE at the meeting, but ho did not; ngree with the clause. Cr Whims : It was agreed to nem. con.

Cr Fish : Well, your Worship, I am prepared to move that this clauso be struck out of the report. In doing so, I may just remind the Council that I either moved or •seconded bsfc year for confining the advertisements to ono paper, but 1 am frte to •confess to tbo conclusion, after the ex perience of twelve months, that it is not a ■judicious ct.urse to adopt. I don't want to say anything in regard to tho paper in questioD, but I think it must be admitted that for a greit many advertisements, amongst •which may fairly be classed the Corporation advertisements, it would ba better that they ■should appear in more papois than one. Neither do I think that the piper in question is tbo best medium for our particular wants. It is very true that on this occasion •ire have got onr advertisements inserted for ■a mere bagatelle, but I don't approve of that principle I think, as a rule, that advertisements are charged too much for, but I don't :fchink that the Corporation has a right to get its advertisements put in more cheaply than an j body else. The Mayor :It was public competition. Cr Fish : Yes, I know that, but the price -was fixed upon in order to keep other papers from having a chance. I don't call that tendering at all. It is not tendering on the •merits of the thing. Apart from that, if I •were asked to give my opinion as to which would be the paper for the Corporation to -*dverfcise in, I would undoubtedly say tho Evening Star, because it has the largest oir--dilation in the city, and it is a paper that is lead by a'moat everybody in the town every •nigkt—by people who dou't take in »»y

other paper. We could not get it under the full priced perhaps, but I think we should revert to something like the old system. 1 don't think it neeeessary that we should put every advertisement we have in every paper. Som — ihoaeof a statutory kind, for instance —can fairly be put in one paper alone. Other ß , calling for works, can b3 put in tne one that undoubtedly has tho lugest circu lation. ~ Cr Webb : It is something extraordinary, your Worship, for this to be struck out. You cannot alter a committee's report. It s not the Council's report. Cr Fish : Oh, stuff ! Cr Leaky : I would second the motion proposed by Cr Fish, but I would advocate now what I advocated at the Committee meeting. The Mayor asked Cr Fiah if he could not frame his resolution in another way. Cr Fisir: Well, I will move, as being a better course, that the recommendations of the Council be disagreed with. Cr Leaky : Well, I will second that, Mr Mayor, and will also move that the rate of advertisements be fixed at 2i per inch, and that all except statutory notices be inserted in the daily papers published in Dun edin. lam of opinion that it is a bad policy altogether to restrict our advertising to one paper. Wa all know that a certain kind of advertisements would be ?een most widely by readers of the Times, but not by readers of the other morning paper ; and 1 think tha papers would bs quite willing to make a concession in regard to the price of our advertisements. If we offer to give the whole of the papers nur advertisements at 2s per inch—half-price—it would he best. I think that's a way out of the difficulty, and I think all the papers would print o«r advertisements at the price I have na^ed. Cr Carroll said it was the paper a own fault if it had lsst year tendered at a price that would not pay. The motion that the clause be struck out was then carried. Cr Leaky next moved—" That the Corporation lix the rate to be paid for its advertisements at 2s per inch per insertion, an.d that all except statutory notices be inserted in the daily papers published in Dunedin." The Mayor : Would it Dot be well to sdrt to it that the matter be left to tho Town Clerk and to th-i Mayor, so that arrangements might be made immediately if it is carried ?

Cr Fi-n : I second Cr Loary's motion, because it is the pro: or course to take. It will give eich paper a fair chance. Cr THOJtsojf supported it. Cr Webb though", the Councillo-s had been cowed dnriDg tha year by the remarks in the public Press. He thought lsst year's arguments were as good now as they were then, and he would oppose tha motion. He had long been connected with the Pres?, and therefore claimed to be disinterested. He intended to vote agiinst the motion. Cr Carroll also intended to vote against

it Cr Lbarv thought if the Council could only be unanimous in the matter it might have an effect on the Press ; but if they only had a majority of one or two the matter might crop up again. The motion was then put and carried, nine voting in favour of it and two against it. Tho two were Crs Webb and Carroll.