The Government Advertising.

Southland Times, Issue 4995, 5 August 1884, Page 3

The Government Advertising.

— » TO THE EDITOR. Slß,— In a footnote to onr letter in your Saturday's issue you make a charge against one oE the members of our firm, which we ask you to give us the oppor unity of refuting. You sta'e that the question of the advertisements was '• one rather of the means by which they were secured than a question of the comparative amount ; " also " that Mr Henry Feldwick's political position was used in the interest of his piper and to the disadvantage of a journal with the same claims, but without the same influence at command." To this we reply that Mr Feldwick had no " political position" <o use when the News ffryt received certain Government adveitisements which were not sent to the Times — about March and April of 1878 — Mr Lamsden b3ing member at that time. As evidence of this, in the first place, \v a . quo e your own paper of June 10th, IS7B, in wnich you Btate " The Times, an Opposition paper, is not the G&z a tte ; the News, an evening paper, having subsciibed the other way, is the organ beloved of Ministers." In the second place we point out that Mr Feldwick was not elected member for the town until July 16th of the same year, about three months after the Government ceased to insert all their advertisements in both papers. — Yours. &c, Henry and John Feldwick. [The only answer necessary to be given to our correspondents will be found in tl 6 following extract from a " Return of amounis paid to newspapers in the colony from Ist .Tiilv. 1878. to 30th SeDtember. 1879" :—

Mr Feldwick, a member of the House, and the newspaper of which he was part-proprie-tor were supporting the Government of Sir George Grey during those fifteen months, and we are hardly to blame in refusing to separa'e between the influence of the journal and the influence of ifs ownr. We may add that, in 1882, a return wa9 moved for, at the instance, we have heard, of Mr Feldwick himself, with the object of thowiughow the Hall Administration had dispensed their advertising favors. This retarn showed that the Southland News, in opposition, had been the recipient of a sum rather above that paid to the Southland Times, a supporter of the Government. Although we have not formally accepted MeaM3 Feld wick's cLallenge, it will be in a - cordance with the spirit thereof, if they will be Rood enough to publish in their paper the facts and figures given in this note.— Ed.

Invercargill News ... £26 0 6 ' Southland Daily Newß 561 3 5 Do do priatiDg 54 7 0 Southland Weekly News 279 7 3 £920 18 2 Southland Times ... 240 19 0