The Industrious Heart A History of New Plymouth / 10:3:1

10:3:1

This sort of approach, together with help from List's brother George, and his brother-in-law, C. M. Hill, enabled the Taranaki Daily News slowly to increase its circulation, quality and influence, until on List's death in 1934, it was the fifth largest morning newspaper in the country. List was a professional newspaper man. Born in Northumberland, he came to New Zealand as a child and was apprenticed to a Petone printer. He became part-owner of the Hutt and Petone Chronicle, helped to establish a short-lived Wellington newspaper, the Sun, and bought, with his brothers George and Charles, the Manaia paper, the Waimate Witness. This he sold to raise money for his latest purchase, the News. His aim was to 'place the interests of the province as a whole first before those of anyone town', and as soon as he had lifted it from its slough of despond (this took several years) the News was circulating in most parts of Taranaki, with branches established in Stratford and Hawera. List's loyalty to the News was total. There were 10 other Taranaki newspapers to compete with, as well as national papers whose influence was increasing. The News would brook no unjustified criticism, either of itself or the town. When the Waimate Witness, the paper List had owned, had the 'effrontery' in 1912 to criticise New Plymouth as 'the dog-town of Taranaki' the News replied editorially: 'We have recognised that New Plymouth and Wellington and London and Timbuctoo and the South Pole are only suburbs of Manaia and that it is the business of the Waimate Witness to warn the Czar of Russia that he must not get cold feet ... but we did hope our own little delinquencies would have escaped the argus eyes of this Thunderer of Little Pedlington.' List's death came with dramatic suddenness in Wellington where he was presiding as district governor over a special conference of New Zealand Rotary. Under the terms of his will the business was vested in trustees-Mrs List, J. C. Nicholson, a solicitor, and C. H. Wynyard, an accountant. C. W. Hodge was business manager and D. F. C. Saxton editor. In 1936 the Taranaki Daily News Company was formed with Gordon Fraser as chairman, and the two executives retained their positions until Hodge left for Christchurch in 1940, when Saxton became managing editor, a position he retained until after the merger of the two New Plymouth papers. Under Saxton's administration the News' influence was extended to take in the King Country, and while it continued to compete with the Herald for New Plymouth subscribers, its area embraced a much wider scope and it became regarded as the regional paper while the Herald (which also had branches at Stratford and Hawera) was thought of as the city and provincial paper. With the amalgamation of the two papers into Taranaki Newspapers Ltd, with Saxton as general manager, a new building was erected to house the editorial department of the News (the Herald's premises,
adjoining, were refurbished) and the sophisticated plant which has since been used to produce both publications. When Saxton retired he was succeeded by Nevile Webber, later to become managing director of NZ News Ltd. Although their editorial opposition to each other lacked the invective of the 'good old days', there was still a brisk spirit of competition between editorial and advertising staffs of both papers. Editor of the News then was John Fullarton, who was succeeded on his retirement in 1973 by Rashleigh Avery. Circulations of both papers in 1980were: Herald 11,000, News 22,000. Names are news. This has always been a newspaper maxim-except as far as newspapermen are concerned, where, in general, a policy of anonymity is pursued. Names behind the news in New Plymouth- lesser mortals than the 'conductors' and editors-have hidden some great personalities whose other spheres of influence were felt in the community long before profession by-lines were used. First reporters on the Taranaki Herald were John McKenzie (who later went to the Daily News) and Robert Pardy; there was Hercules (Herkie) Moon, a huge man who was involved in most of the paper's departments during his 70-year working life; Jack Curtis, Stratford representative for 41 years; Laurie Cooper, Bryan Pope (who later joined the National Bank), Geoffrey Conly (later editor of the Napier Daily Telegraph), Clem Cave, news editor for many years, and June Litman, the country's first woman news editor. The Garcia family has been associated with the Taranaki Daily News since 1908. 'Jimmy' had 34 years with the paper as reporter and general representative, and it is on record that he would ride from Stratford to Taumarunui on his bicycle, report a meeting, cycle back and telegraph his copy to the News in time for the early country edition. His sons, Barry, circulation manager for Taranaki Newspapers, and Denis, associate editor of the News, carried on the family's tradition. John Brodie the author, John Guthrie), H. E. Carey, Douglas Stewart, Peter Bates, Jim Staples, Terry McLean, Tony Whitlock, Monty Parrott, Dave Heatherington, T. D. Charters, Sid Hoben (who, with Fullarton, conducted the popular 'Man in the Corner' column for many years), Maori journalist Harry Dansey, later to become Race Relations Con- ciliator in Auckland, Gilbert Parker, Eddie Wilson-have all contri- buted in various ways to the News, and to the community. Politically, neither paper has ever been the mouthpiece of parties (despite frequent accusations to the contrary by irate 'Letters to the Editor' writers), praising or condemning governments as the editors thought fit. They have both conducted many campaigns against various authorities for causes they felt worth fighting for; they have been congratulated and vilified-but they have been read, which is the raison detre of any newspaper.
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