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Wellington Independent, Volume XXIII, Issue XXIII, 10 October 1868, Page 4

The Libel Bill introduced ly Mr Yogel was, on Tuesday evening, thrown out by a majority of 22 against The objects of the bill was to enable fche public to know, through published reports in the newspapers, what is said and done at public meetings without rendoiing the publisher liable for an action hr libel. But another bill, introduced by; tlie Government for a far different object, has met with a different fate. \\ c refer to the Printers and Newspapers Regulation Act, which has been passed by both Houses without a word being said in ils defence. The oue bill was intended to secure the liberty of the press, and it was consequently 'most ener. ,

getically opposed by the Treasury whipperin and the supporters of the Ministry, and was rejected ; the other bill was intended to gag the press, and was therefore carried. The character of this last measure will be best understood by the following passage, which we take from the Taranaki Herald : — " i^n overseer in his hurry at night may. accidentalli/ forget to place the imprint at the foot of the last column of a supplement to a newspaper; the formes go to press, are printed off, and issued. The next morning the proprietor is met, on coming to his office, with a summons, which has been taken out by a common informer. He appears before the Justice of the Peace, and is fined not less than £125 nor more than £500. It is no use his pleading an accident of his employe. The Act does not recognise accidents, but distinctly states that any omission of the name or part thereof shall be prima facie evidence of wilful default against any such printer or publisher." The printing press is regarded by the Government in the same light as an illicit still, either can be searched for by the police, the proprietors of both are put in the power of common informers, and if the press is not registered at the Supreme Court, and if the imprint on the newspaper is accidentally omitted, the proprietor is subjected to ruinous penalties, as in the case of the illicit distiller. The act is to come into operation on the Ist of January, 1869, and is divided into three parts — 1. Regulation of Printing Pressed. 9. registration of Newspapers. 3. Penalties. Under this latter division, a printer may be fined one hundred pouuds. If the Government and the House had shown a disposition to permit fair play to newspaper proprietors, by allowing Air Vogel's Libel Bill to become law, we might have forgiven them for their Newspapers Regulation Act, but their determined rejection of the one, and their hurried passing of tlie ether are, taken together, a proof that they are the enemies .of free discussion and of the liberty of the press.