THE COLONIST. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1917. THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF "THE COLONIST."

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14548, 23 October 1917, Page 4

THE COLONIST. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1917. THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF "THE COLONIST."

Po-pay marks an epoch in the history of 'The Colonist," and it is entitled to a place among the memorable dates of she province. It was on October 23rd, 1857, that "The Colonist" came into 3xis'tonce, and throughout the sixty years which have elapsed since then it lias remained a vital force in all that lias pertained to the progress and wellbeing of the community it was founded to serve. Had the times been normal the Diamond Jubilee of this paper would have been an event which it would have been desirable to signalise in some special manner befitting its importance. A time; however, when ou'\ heritage of free institutions, and everything that is typified in a free Press is being contended for on the battlefields of Europe in the greatest and grimmest struggle in history, and ou^ young men, in common with their fellows from every part of the Empire, are laying

down their gallant lives by hundreds in deteice of cur liberties—such a time as this is not perhaps suitable for special commemoration of historic anniversaries, however .noteworthy they are. We cannot, nevertheless, allow such^an event to pass entirely unnoticed, and we propose in this article to direct the attention of our readers to all that the period upon which "The Colonist" turns the page to-day has meant to Nelson. In' the history of colonisation in ~ New Zealand sixty years marks a great span, enclosing practically the whole record of development from the primitive conditions which sufficed indifferently well for the needs of the early settlers to the complex machinery of our modern society. There are not many institutions in this country which can contemplate an uninterrupted career of sixty years. Most of those set up by the early colonists reflected the changing conditions of the time, .and were established to meet the requirements of the moment, without looking far ahead. Havino, served their purpose, they made way for mere advanced ideas, and with a few notable exceptions tliere was no attempt to preserve continuity. It was otherwise with the newspapers, some of which kept pace with the progress of colonisation and constitute to-day valuable links with the almost forgotten days when European settlement was in its infancy. Still, the number of newspapers of the present day which were in vigorous existence at that early stage of our national history is very few ,• indeed, we believe we are right in saying that not more than two or three can look back over a longer period of establishment than that of "The Colonist." In the files of "The Colonist" the history of Nelson may be read, for although the settlement had been some fifteen years in existence before this paper was launched, those years had hardly witnessed tbe inception of tho era of development which attained increasing vigour with the gradual extension of settlement. The country at that time possessed none of the conveniences and few of what have become the necessities of life. Each settlement was entirely self-contained, being entirely detached from other centres of civilisation except by long and" difficult overland journeys, and such occasional opportunities of communication as chance visits of coastal craft offered. There were, of course, no railways, and maritime conveyance was carried on almost entirely by sailing ships, there being I in 1857 only one locally owned steamer. Telegraphs, also, were a refinement of a much later date, and submarine cabins followed later still. At its inception, and for many years afterwards, "The Colonist," alike with its contemporaries, possessed none of the facilities which are the most commonplace aids to tre production of newspapers at the present day. It was a matter of more time and difficulty then to collect the available news in a small district than it is now to present a summary of the principal happenings of the world within a few hours of their occurrence. The conditions of the time rendered necessary widely different methods of government to those of to-day, and the control of locui affairs was confided to Provincial Councils, the functions of the Colonial Government being limited to purely national affaris. In the discussion of problems which confronted the people of the nascent province tte necessity of a virile Press, both as a means of moulding public opinion and a vehicle ,f O r the dissemination of views was increasingly felt. The-needs^of the settlers in this respect had not been j altogether unprovided for prior to the (advent of "The Colonist,'" but the ; functions of the Press at best inadequately performed and a laree and growing body of opinion which was destined to become the dominant factor in siiapmg provincial and national policy found itself virtually without facilities °; ex^ession. It was in these circumstances that a band of public .spirited and enhgntened men conceived tho wea of establishing a newspaper which ofle I* 0" iefleCt °^ of the day, and they in due course established "The Colonist,- dedicating t to the deals from which it has never •eviated and which are its ideals tocato of if" b°en the con*iste»t «dvoaddte.f °T SeSV''hiCllprOmise<l add to the advantages and widen the opportunities of the people, and it has Wtbed u-oniclerof progress i neve" direction. It i s fitting that on rach an n CeT7 *m |hiß grateful -k-wlec" nient should be made of the unfailin. support and oncourogoment the p a 7er people of the province, without *hich its enaeavours to realise the aims of t s founders and conductors could not have been attended with the success whkh -c are emboldened to/beliovc, may b justly claimed. .