The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1897.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2356, 30 March 1897, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1897.

r— ■ ■ A copy of the Pahiatua- Herald, containing a full report of a banquet 1 given to Mr J. O'Meara, the new I member for the district, has just reached us. The paper is some- | what ancient (19th instant), and the banquet was held on the previous I evening, but we refer to it because Mr Hall-Jones was present and dei livered himself of some remarks which were very wide of the truth. He raked up the Flatman social, and gave evidence as to what Mr McKenzie, the Minister of Lands, • said upon that occasion. According, to Mr Hall-Jones his colleague had i been very much misrepresented m regard to what he said about the 1 Bank of New Zealand and its officials. " One of the hardships of political ' life," said Mr Hall-Jones, " was the way m which Ministers were misrepresented. Ministers suffered fifty , times as much as members m that respect. He could give one instance which occurred m connection , with his colleague the Minister of Lands, who was present at a banquet tendered to Mr Flatman m ' South Canterbury. He himself was there, and what Mr McKenzie said ■ was that he had been informed that the officials of the Bank of Zealand 1 had been interesting themselves m the election, and he went on to say, just as he might have said to a doctor who neglected his practice for horse - racing or something else, 'Now you have a very good practice, and if you don't pay attention to it and give up horse-racing and those other weaknesses you will lose your practice and become bankrupt. 1 That was just what Mr McKenzie said m connection with the Bank of New Zealand. If they did not attend to their business it would go into liquidation. The Conservative press seized the opportunity and said the Government • were going to put the screw on the Bank of New Zealand because they were interesting themselves m pdli- ' tics." The misrepresentation rests entirely with Mr Hall-Jones. Mr McKenzie complained bitterly of the alleged political activity of those connected with the management of the Bank of New Zealand, the activity, of course, not having been m the Government interest, He threatened most distinctly that if they did not mind what they were about, the bank would go into liquidation. It was a threat not a kindly warning. The utterance was an absurd one-^a true piece of the McKenzie blundering tactless oratory—and his colleagues were intensely di^s'ueted at it. They bad

reason to be so, because the remarks were adversely commented on from one end of the colony to the other. But the papers did not misrepresent what had been said. They put a fair construction on the words; and we would remind Mr Hall-Jones that it was not only the wicked Conservative press that blamed Mr McKenzie. The" Government papers also disapproved. These charges of . misrepresentation are constantly being made by Ministers, but they are grossly unfair to , the reporters, who, no matter what their private opinions may be, set down m their notes what is said without giving it a fictitious colour^ ing. If a Minister makes a good speech he gets the benefit of it ; if he gays blundering foolish things he cannot expect the reporters, whether Conservatives , or Liberals, to transmute them into words of wisdom.