The Star. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1903. THE ISLAND TRIP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7680, 15 April 1903, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1903. THE ISLAND TRIP.

To-night a. score or two of our legislators, accompanied by a. respectable leaven, of bbc Lords af t__s Upper House, just to lend a little tona to the occasion, will Mt sail in the good sihip Mapourika for a cruise among the islands of the Pacific. At first sight it may secon somewhat- difficult to understand why a trip of this sort should be undertaken just before the session, at the expense of the colony, but when ifc ia explained that -the object, is a, purely educative one, and tihab the trip is- designed to< give our administrators some idea of the Empire's possessions in their immediate neighbourhood, and to show them the conditions ol life lihat prevail -in their immediate vicinity, the cruise at once takes on quite n- different aspect-. It will, no dou,t>t, from this point of view, prove as pleasant a .Kaon a_ any ardent politician could desire, a-nd members have not hesitated to avail themselves of the opportunity oi acquiring a seventh staaida.rd knowledge of the isla-ndis. So far the expedition, while not perhaps quite mi interesting as those to Antarctica, which have been exercising us lately, has at least a reasonable justification. But, unfortunately, for some reason unknown, and only to be dimly guessed at, the mistake has been made of absolutely excluding the Press from participation in this " educative " excursion. This eleventh hour decision amounts almost to a mystery. Ibe- exigencies of room, of course, forbade that the excursion should be thrown open to the Press whole.'ulo, but the original intention of allowing a few represonta.tive journalists to accompany tho members on behalf of the Provs of ths colony generally would hsive fulfilled all the obligation* which the publi. has a right to a.vk should' be recognised. The people of tlie colony have as much right to demand that they 'shall be "educated "• concerning the Pacific £,s the Legislature, and their education can

only be accomplished through the medium) .it the Press. Just why tlie members should have objected to the process of their " education" being watched by tho Press is not At the moment- a-ppaa-emt.. Neither is it under.standa.ble where the distinction comes in between admitting representative photo..raphors and represeniativo journalists. These, are mysteries of a higher order. But at present it would swm a,s if the trip would provide a. prolific crop of questions in 1-Im> House iuid form :m admirable subject for a series of diatribes from the Op-' petition Press upon an entirely new subject. In tQi is respect, at any rate, it will be a veri'Kiblc godsend.