STATE ADVERTISEMENTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3298, 17 August 1911, Page 3

STATE ADVERTISEMENTS.

CENERAL ELECTION AND LICENSING POLL. ALL PAPERS TO PARTICIPATE. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, August 16. The system followed in the distrimltion of "State advertisements amongst the' newspaeprs-of., the Dominion, vae discussed in the House this afternoon. The member for Wellington South (Mr R. A. Wright), asked for an tu»surance that all advertisements in connection with the general election and the local option polls -would be published in all tile daily papers, irrespective of their political views. The printed reply of the Minister of Internal Rffairs was that: “The usual course will be followed.” “I call that one of the most diplomatic* replies ever given to any question in this House,” said Mi* Wright. “It means that the Government will follow the same old course of giving Government advertisements to those- papers which suport them, so that no paper antagonistic to the Government will get any advertisements. ’ * Mr Witty: The poor Dominion I The Hon. T. Mackenzie: What papers did' not get advertisements last year ? Mr Wright: The “Dominion” and the “Rangitikei Advocate.” Probably the Minister for Agriculture is taking a hand in this matter. He is an influential man, and if he will take this matter up he will add laurels to his name. Already he has made some.— Mr Massey: “Bloomers.” Air Wright: Headway in his Department. 1 only hope that the Government, for the sake of the people who read these papers, will see to it, and the advertisements are fairly distributed. 'The Leader of the Opposition (Mr W. F. Massey) asked what, was the usual course. Was it the course at present adopted or the course followed in past years ? In past years it had been the custom to distribute advertisements to every paper in New Zealand in proportion to the circulation of each paper. If the Government intended to adopt that course there was nothing more to be said, for both the House and the country would be satisfied, but the Government had given no such assurance, and what its answer implied was that the course of boycotting certain newspapers, which was at present in operation would be followed. The Hon. T. Mackenzie confined his reply to the discussion to a statement that both, the papers mentioned would be given the. Government advertisements in connection with the general election. ... -v . • . .