LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6595, 20 September 1899, Page 4

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

-— TVESDAY, Sel'T- 5-9- v '■.■•> .■ .-. AFTERNOON SITTING. The Council mat at 2. 30 p.m. copyright telegrams. The Hon A. J Lee-Smith moved-?-'' That the Government be requested to> take steps to carry into effect the recommerdations of the Copyright Telegrams O'otnriiittee in the report presented to the House of Representatives in 1896.", ;Ths. report recommended that the copyright en cable messages to the Press Association "shoxild be withdrawn. He .explained that there was a general desire to break down the monopoly wbich'now existed 1 . He took exceptionto. the. large entrance fca-. now charged by' the Association, the consequence having been that newspaper enterprise had -not. gone' on' in the way it should have dono if there had not been such a hsavy"tax on the proprietors. For '-'instance"", ' there had bsen a proposal to establish a paper in Dunedin recently, biiu the promoters had been deterred by the large sum necessary to pay in order to join the Association. This entrance fee was merely a penalising fund against the introduction of fresh newspapers. . The Minister of Education admitted that the question was one of considerable importance, but there was a certain amount of difficulty connected with it. Still the Government was giving the matter careful Consideration. He complained of the questionable quality and bad selection of news from abroad, and also of the partial and coloured political reports that were spread through. the colony by the Association. , The Hon J... Kerr argued that the Association had worked in a manner generally satisfactory, and: denied,. that .the organisation laid itself out to circulate misleading report*. If the 'Association was. swept away what would be put. in. its place? It! had served; its purpose well, and should be supported by the.Government and the people. . The Hon J. M. Tworoey contended that s huge monopoly, existed which, in the interests- of the colony, should be broken up. It had for. years .prohibited- the" establishment of fresh newspaper enterprises by a prohibitive entrance fee. He charged the Association with political bias against the Premier, who was continually being held up to ridicule and odium, and he asserted that during .the Jubilee celebrations in London instructions had been issued by the Association that Mr Seddon was to be boycotted by not sending any news about his movements. The Hon W. T. Jennings thought it might j rf be wrong to charge such a large entrance j fee, but there were already far too maoiy j papers in .the colony. The Hona.G. M'Lean and J. Macgregor opposed the motion. The Hon G. Jones had just commenced to speak when the debate was interrupted. BILLS. . The Municipal Franchise Extension Bill ■'■ passed its final stages, and the Trustees ■ •Act Amendment Bill passed through com-. ■ xaittee. ... The Council rose at 4.55.