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HISTORY OF THE ARGUS

 

 

1846-1926

EIGHTY YEARS IN OUTLINE.      

           

 

 

     

THE EARLY YEARS.

Melbourne in the Forties.  

Glimpses of the Young Colony.

"THE ARGUS" had its beginnings in those far-off days when  

what was afterwards to be a rich, populous, and powerful State was merely a small settlement on the shores of Port Phillip. It became at once an important influence upon the life of the little community, and has retained that influence ever since, growing with the growth of the community, and doing much to mould public opinion and to assist in the startlingly rapid progress and development which have marked the short life of the State.

The date of the birth of "The Argus"—or "The Melbourne Argus," as it was then called—was Tuesday, June 2, 1846 — when the settlement was only 11 — or, reckoning from Mr. Edward Henty's landing with stock at Portland Bay, 12 — years old. The population of the province was 38,334, and Melbourne was a straggling town, loosely articulated, and by no means distinguished for its liveliness. People

had a good deal of leisure for scandal   and small talk, local events were few and unexciting, communication with the old world was slow and irregular. Sydney was distant nearly a week, there was little in the way of public amuse- ments to beguile the tedium of the long winter evenings, the streets were un- paved and badly lighted, and the only season of real animation was when the annual clip of wool came down from the country, and the pastoral tenants of the Crown visited Melbourne to pur- chase stores and to indulge in such gaieties as the limited resources of the place could supply.

A glance through the advertisements of the first Issue of "The Argus" furnishes a strong sidelight on the everyday life of the community. One advertisement foreshadows the "old Prince's Bridge. This was inserted by David Lennox, the superintendent of bridges, and he asked for tenders for cut stone for the arch of the bridge over the Yarra Yarra, as it was then called. Tenders were also invited for stone in the rough such as would be required for the pilasters and cornices of the bridge. A reward is offered for the detection of illicit distillation. As an encouragement to convicts, it was stated that if the

person giving information was a prisoner of the Crown, His Excellency would take into his most favourable consideration the claim of such person for the highest indulgence that could with property be granted to him. But in another clause it is added that stills about which information must be given must really be illicit stills, for the authorities had reason to believe that stills occasionally had been erected with the sole purpose of "discovering" them and of obtaining the reward. One wonders, however, whether illicit distillation was worth the risk, for the cost of imported spirit was surprisingly low. Martell's brandy, 10 per cent overproof, could be purchased for 8/ a gallon, and rum of equal strength was only 6/ a gallon. Other price lists show that, though sugar was dear at 1/ a lb., Scotch oatmeal was only 3d. a lb., rice was 1¾d., fine Manila cigars could he bought at 75/ for 1,000, and a quart bottle of pickles cost

only 1/6.

It is not difficult to imagine the thrills with which the young people of the settlement perused the advertisement of a Mr. Chambers, "late of the Corps de  

Ballet at the Italian Opera House, London, and of the Victoria Theatre, Sydney," who "has the honour to an- nounce to the gentry of the district and to the public generally that he is now prepared to give lessons in dancing— and from his long professional ex- perience and recent arrival in this Colony is enabled to teach the Polka. Mr. C. will attend private families and give private lessons to those who may object to attend his assembly rooms opposite Messrs. Dalgety, Borradaile, and Co., of Bourke street. Mr. C. also guarantees that he will teach Quad- rilles in eight lessons."

Nor had the young gallants of the day to take their lessons in the Polka and Quadrilles in shabby raiment, for a Mr. Murcutt, tailor and draper, of Elizabeth street, will not only cut them

a splendid suit, but will have it  

delivered to them, "complete," six hours after the order has been given! He   has for sale broadcloth in many colours—black, blue, brown; also in dahlias,  

rifles and invisible greens. Mr. Murcutt also prided himself upon having the best assortment of waistcoating in Melbourne, the choice ranging from shawls  

to satins, fancy cut velvets, plush, cashmerets, and valencias. And when it is noted that the price for making a frock coat or a dress coat was only £1/1/4 if the customer brought his own material, and that a complete suit, dress or other, would not cost more than £1/12/ for making, one begins to wonder whether the Melbourne of 80 years ago was such a very terrible place to live in after all! At this time the population of Melbourne was about 25,000.  

Innumerable quaintly worded notices, announcements, and intimations may be seen in the columns of that first issue of "The Argus," but one more must suffice. The famous George Coppin, who was always threatening to retire from the stage, had established a new theatre "upon that piece of ground in the rear of Elizabeth street which is now occupied by Mr. Armistead, the builder." At this time it appears that the only rival entertainment to that provided by the theatre was the performance of "the celebrated fire king and necromancer," one Mr. Powell Courtier, who informed the public that his feats had occasioned 'the greatest wonder and excitement in Hobart Town." This singular gentleman announced that he would "eat flaming fire with a knife and fork, swallow as much phosphorus as would kill 200 men, and devour a bushel of shavings, which, having been rapidly digested, would reappear in the form of a barber's pole 12 feet in length." Necromancy evidently did not pay, for on November 17 Mr. Powell Courtier intimated that he had taken an eating house opposite the Star Inn, in Elizabeth street, and was prepared to furnish board and lodging for 10/ a week, to be paid in advance.

In 1840 beef and mutton were 2d. a lb. and butter 16d. ; bread was 7d the 4lb. loaf, and milk; 3d. a quart; fowls were 2/ and ducks 3/9 a pair; and a "good fat turkey" could be bought for 6/3. Copper coins were by no means despised, for we read that on October 27, 1846, "a drayman reaped a rich harvest by carrying parties across Elizabeth street, at Townend's corner, at  

a halfpenny a head."

Mr. William Kerr's Regime.

"The Argus" was founded by William Kerr, a headstrong Scotsman. The first number was a four-page paper, containing about nine columns of advertise- ments, two-thirds of which were Government notices. Its local intelligence was meagre, but its editor made a strong point of his ability to anticipate the rival journals, the "Patriot" and the "Herald," by half a day in the publication of the news brought from Sydney by the overland mail. Mr. Kerr was a man of strong opinions, and utterly fearless in the expression of them. In "A History of the Colony of Victoria," by Mr. Thomas McCombie, published in 1858, the founding of "The Argus" is referred to as follows:—"A number of the friends of Mr. Kerr, when he had failed with the 'Courier,' opened a subscription list and raised money enough to buy material and start him in business. The most active person in the affair was Mr. Robert Porter, at that time a merchant

in Melbourne, who was treasurer to the committee, and who collected the money, and it was at his suggestion that the paper was named 'The Melbourne Argus." Mr. Kerr obtained a fair share of favour, and would no doubt have supported himself very comfortably had he not unfortunately become mixed up with some Town Council disputes, and, having quarrelled with Mr. Harry Moor, the Mayor of Melbourne, published a libel upon that gentleman, for which he was cast in heavy damages. These his admirers subscribed, and all might have gone right had not Mr. Kerr, in an evil hour, repeated the libel; and legal proceedings having been again commenced, damages were awarded to Mr. Moor to the extent of £500. The public would not again stand between Mr. Kerr and ruin, and after a considerable amount of litigation, he lost the paper."

That was in 1848.

"Come like Shadows, So Depart."

But let us dwell for a moment or two upon the atmosphere of 1846, and read what a writer In "The Argus" of July 5, 1878, in commemorating the 10,000th issue, had to say on the subject of that first copy of the paper. "A few names that are still familiar to us," he says, "appear in the advertising columns, but out of about 80 signatures attached to a requisition for a public meeting we are unable to identify more than 10 or 12 as those of persons who are still living. Messrs. Stawell, Barry, and Williams were practising as barristers in the Supreme Court, and the late Judge Pohlman was chief commis- sioner of insolvent estates; but most of the names which are of frequent occurrence in the columns of 'The Argus' during the first year of its existence belonged to men whose places know them no more. The very contentions of the period—contentions between 'Greens' and 'Orangemen,' 'Pollutionists' and 'Anti- Pollutionists,' 'Kerrites' and 'Carrites,' contentions as bitter and as acrimonious as the political dissensions of 1878, have passed into oblivion, and so have many of the colonists who were cast up to the surface of society by the agitations

Dining Hall on the top floor for the use of the staff.

below. Their power for evil and good was altogether evanescent and their names were 'written in water.' Forty or fifty years hence, perhaps, somebody may take down the present volume of 'The Argus' from a shelf in the Public

Library, and, as he scans the strictures upon public men contained in its leading columns, may ask with a feeling of wonder: Who were the Berrys, the Long- mores, the Smiths, the Woods, and the Lalors who fluttered across the political stage for a few short years, and then were utterly forgotten? For  

"'Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back

Wherein he puts alms for Oblivion,  

A great sized monster of ingratitudes.' "

Early Vicissitudes.

Melbourne In 1846 was only 11 years old, and its population was com- posed of men of every race and every country. They brought with them to the new land all the prejudices and all the antipathies of race and religion which had marked the life of the older countries from which they came.

A corner of the office of the Advertising department.

Confined within the circumscribed lines of the infant settlement, where every- body knew everybody else, these pre-  

judices became intensified, and "The Melbourne Argus," boldly combative, was in continual trouble. Libel actions were frequent: law costs and penalties absorbed far more than the profits of the venture in an atmosphere of  

fiercest strife the paper struggled on for two years. Then, in 1848, the end came: the bailiffs were put in, and the news- paper and plant were sold by the sheriff for £300. The purchaser was Mr. Edward Wilson, who had settled on the land in what was then the re- mote bush at Dandenong. Under the new proprietor there began a new era for the paper. The name was at once changed to "The Argus," and on Sep- tember 15, 1848, it set out on that long, uninterrupted career which has brought it to its new premises.

Although Mr. Edward Wilson's name

did not appear on the imprint until

some time later, his sturdy style made itself evident from the first. His life in the bush was reflected in the paper, which was strong and forceful rather than academic. For a while he had with him as co-partner Mr. J. S. Johnston, but that gentleman retired very soon, and in later years Mr. Lauchlan Mackinnon and Mr. Allan Spowers became Mr. Wilson's partners. There were competitors with "The Argus"—the "Courier" and the "Daily News"— but they were soon absorbed. There is no space in this article to trace at any

A novel conception of the quantity of material used in the construction of the new premises.

length the genealogy of "The Argus," but it embraces four of the early Melbourne newspapers. On January 1, 1838, the "Melbourne Advertiser" first appeared (in manuscript form) when Melbourne was officially less than 12 months old. Eventually it became the "Port Phillip Patriot," and on October 9, 1848, it became the "Melbourne Daily News." The "Port Phillip Gazette'

was established on October 27, 1838. Afterwards its name was changed to "The Times," and later it was merged into the "Melbourne Daily News." "The Argus," first issued on June 2, 1840, absorbed the "Melbourne Daily News," thus establishing a clear link with the earliest newspaper venture in the colony. "The Argus," when Mr. Wilson bought it, consisted of four pages with nine columns of advertisements, two-thirds of which were "Government Gazette" notices. The chief news was that obtained from Sydney, and the greatest efforts were put forth to gain half a day on the time at which the overland mail might ordinarily have been expected.

Prosperity and Expansion.

In 1851 came the discovery of gold, and with it times of extraordinary excitement and prosperity. People poured into Victoria, which, as a separate  

colony, developed with marvellous rapidity. Melbourne was growing at a wonderful pace, and "The Argus" shared in this growth as well as in the prosperity. Great difficulties were ex- perienced for a while in bringing out the paper. Everybody was off to the gold fields, and it was almost impossible to keep compositors or printers. Neverthe- less "The Argus" managed to come out every day. Agents and correspondents were appointed on all the goldfields, and "The Argus" circulation went up enormously. McCombie, in his "History of Victoria," says:—"The circulation of 'The Argus' was very great in the years 1852 and 1853; indeed it was said

to be nearly equal to that of the London Times." We must not, perhaps, take this as exactly correct, but the circula- tion was no doubt very large. The price charged was unprecedentedly low in the colonies, being only threepence

a copy — hardly the price of the paper on which it was printed." But

If the circulation went up, so did the

price. Originally the paper was sold at 6d. In 1851 the price was raised to 8d., and in 1852 to 1/. Then, on January 1, 1853, it was reduced to 3d., only to be increased to 6d., on February 3 of the same year. On April 19, however, it was again reduced to 3d., and that remained its price until 1884, when it was reduced to 2d. On April 3, 1893, the price of the paper was brought down to 1d., at which it remained until August 2, 1918, when the price of the Saturday issue was increased to 2d., and on April 5. 1920. It was raised from 1d. to 1½d. on ordinary days. On June 1, 1921, the price became 2d. daily, but on March 5, 1923, it was again reduced to 1½d.

The Watchwords: "Fair Play and Justice!"

"The Argus" took an active part in the public affairs of the times, always ranging itself on the side of fair play and justice. It supported the gold diggers, and fought for them and with them against the oppressive system of

licensing and the tyrannical methods adopted by the police on the fields. But when the miners abandoned legitimate agitation, took the law into their own hands, and opposed authority with force at the Eureka Stockade. "The Argus'

at once declared that they were wrong, and supported the Government of the colony. That was the policy of the paper—to fight courageously and boldly for every cause which it believed to be just. In pursuance of this policy it came into bitter conflict with Governors and Assemblies, and often found itself opposed to the popular opinion of the day. Twice—in 1862 and in 1866—the

Legislative Assembly penalised the paper for breaches of privilege committed in the course of fierce criticism of pro- ceedings deemed to be against the welfare of the people as a whole. It was "The Argus" which raised the cry of "Unlock the Lands!"—not only raised it, but insisted, by every means of agitation, until its aim was achieved, and the lands of the colony were thrown open for settlement.

Genesis of "The Australasian."

A weekly edition of "The Argus" had been published during the prosperity of the early 'fifties. It contained a reprint   in condensed form of the news of the week, with other articles likely to be of special interest to readers in the country. The published price was one penny, but news was so scarce and so valued by the people in the bush that 2/6 was gladly paid for the paper. One of the features of it was the long list of impoundings—news of great import- ance to the people in those days of open

holdings, and cattle, horse, and sheep

stealing. It enabled settlers to trace such of their stock as had mysteriously disappeared, or at least to decide whether the animals had strayed or been stolen. That list of impoundings, with its weird brands and symbols, was the weekly terror of the proof-readers of "The Argus." It made them prematurely grey, and tradition tells of at least one man who developed madness and spent his days reading imaginary proofs, full of the most complicated cattle brands and particulars. Later on the "Weekly Argus," the 'Examiner," and the "Yeoman"—three distinct journals—were all incor- porated into one and called "The Australasian."

News Gathering in the Early Days.

Before the advent of the submarine cable, Australia was isolated from the world and dependent for all its outside news on the files and letters brought by ships from the other side of the world. The Marco Polo, the James Baines, the Lightning, and the Red Jacket were some of the clipper ships of the day. They used to make "fast" voyages between England and Melbourne, occupying from 10 to 13 weeks. As soon as a vessel appeared outside the Heads her arrival was signalled up to Melbourne, and the signal displayed on Observatory Hill. Then the shipping reporter of "The Argus"

prepared to meet her and receive his budget of news and papers. With this he would hurry back to "The Argus" office.

News that the vessel had arrived would be spread, and a crowd would be gathered in front of "The Argus" office to hear the latest news from

England. The sound of the machinery in motion would be a signal for a cheer from the crowd, and before long newsboys would be racing along the streets crying, "Extraordinary!" When the Crimean War, the Indian   Mutiny, and, later on, the Franco-Prussian War were exciting the whole world, these gatherings in front of "The Argus" office probably reached their greatest extent. There was, all through the Crimean War, a fear that a swift Russian cruiser might suddenly appear in Hobson's Bay and hold Melbourne to ransom. Indeed a very real scare was excited when the Great Britain slipped through the Heads unobserved, and arrived off Sandridge at night unheralded. The captain announced his arrival by firing a cannon, and all Melbourne was thrown into the greatest alarm.

No effort was spared in those pre-cable days to obtain European news at the earliest possible moment. The P. and O. mail steamers used not to run right through to England. They connected with the China liners at Point de Galle, in Ceylon, and exchanged mails, cargo, and passengers. At the Australian end the steamer called at Albany, and then came on direct to Melbourne; Adelaide was omitted. But a branch steamer met the mail steamer at Albany, and came on independently to Glenelg with the Adelaide

Kitchen which serves the cafe provided for members of "the

Argus" staff.

mails, cargo, and passengers. "The Argus" method was to send a member of the staff to Albany on the branch steamer. He obtained the latest     European newspaper files, and then on the way to Glenelg, on the branch steamer, he extracted, con- densed, and prepared the news for publication in "The Argus." At Glenelg a fast rowing-boat met the steamer, and "The Argus" man dashed ashore and telegraphed his news to Melbourne. Often it happened, how- ever, that the branch steamer was delayed by heavy weather in the Bight, and then the mail steamer reached Melbourne before the pre- pared news arrived from Adelaide. Elaborate precautions had been taken however. At Queenscliff "The Argus' correspondent had a fast whale boat, and he met the incoming steamer outside the Heads, obtained a set of the newspaper files, and raced back to the Queenscliff pier. There his buggy was waiting, and

he was driven at breakneck speed to the telegraph office.

Telegraphing the Bible From Queenscliff.

There was keen competition over this work, for other papers were equally anxious to obtain news, and often the race went to those who could first put their news on the wire. "The Argus" correspondent, in order to hold the wire until he could return from the mail steamer with his budget frequently adopted the plan of handing in the Bible before he left, with orders to telegraph it to "The Argus," Melbourne. By this means nobody could use the telegraph wire until he had finished with it, and that was not until all his news had been sent through. It was well known in "The Argus" office when the Book of Genesis began to arrive that the European

mail was not far behind it. Later a more satisfactory method was evolved. A resident correspondent was stationed at Point de Galle, and he prepared

all the news for "The Argus" in the interval between the arrival of the China liner and the departure of the Australian mail steamer. His "copy" was sent on to Australia by the mail steamer. The first message over the submarine cable was received in 1872, and after that the correspondent   was withdrawn from Ceylon. The submarine cable is one of many agencies which intensify the comparison between the modest four-page paper which was laboriously produced for the first time on June 2, 1846, and "The Argus" of to-day, which is produced at the rate of nearly 1,000 copies a

One of the administrative offices.

minute.

In fact, methods of newspaper pro- duction have advanced out of all knowledge since the "old days," when the whole of the paper was set by hand and the printing done by a clumsy handpress. Machinery has been intro- duced which performs, at express speed almost all of the operations formerly toilsomely carried out by manual labour. The steam printing press was the first improvement. That machine itself has been improved upon every year, until now the huge printing presses in "The Argus" office-the most modern presser in Australia-are electrically driven, and their speed and accuracy are amazing.

The history of "The Argus," then, is the history of Victoria. It typifies in   itself and its history the growth of knowledge, the development in industry, and the extraordinary progress which have marked the last 75 years both in Australia and in the world outside.

"THE ARGUS" MOTTO.

"THE ARGUS" motto is understood to have been first used in an  

obscure Scottish newspaper. William Kerr adopted the motto in the "Port Phillip Patriot," and later in the "Melbourne Courier," and when he established "The Argus" he used it a third time with the result that the same lines were appearing simultaneously at the head of the leading column, in two rival papers. There have been many inquiries regarding the authorship of the words. "I am in the place where I am demanded of conscience to speak the truth, and therefore the truth I speak, impugn it whoso list." The author of the saying was John Knox, the founder of the Reformed Church of Scotland. The incident which originated the expression is referred to in most of the ivories dealing with Knox's life. The references to it generally add two words more than are contained in "The Argus" variant. Briefly put, the following describes the incidents leading up to the occurrence:—

It came after the famous dialogues between Knox and Mary, Queen of Scots, as recorded in the fourth bonk of Knox's history. In the summer of 1583 a riot occurred, in the Queen's absence, between Catholics who wished to worship in her private chapel and Protestants who wished to prevent or de- nounce this. The latter were indicted for "invading" the palace. Knox instantly wrote a letter summoning the faithful to attend in a body along with him, and he was cited to appeal before the Queen in Council, on a charge of "convocation of the lieges.'' Once before, in December, 1563, he had stood before Mary, now it was at her bar. The Queen was heard to exclaim: "Yon man gart me greet, and grat never tears himself. I will see if I can gar him greet." Knox absolutely refused to withdraw his letter or to apologise for it. Lethington, the secretary, conducted the prosecution and it was probably he who, at a certain stage, remarked to Knox. "You forget yourself, you are not now in the pulpit." To this Knox replied, "I am in the place where I am demanded of conscience to speak the   truth, and therefore I speak. The truth I speak impugn it whoso list. The voter were taken twice over: but the nobles steadily refused to find Knox guilty, and "that night there was neither dancing nor fiddling in the palace."

(*An explanation has been offered of Mary's utterance. "Gar" means "make," and the past tense is "gart": "greet" means "weep," and "grat" is the past tense, i.e., "wept." In English therefore, the words would read, "That man made me weep and wept never tears himself. I      

will see if I can make him weep.")            

"THE ARGUS" FUNDS.

Great Public Responses.

"THE ARGUS" has collected through its columns many hundreds   of thousands of pounds for various funds. In response to its  

appeals in 1925 the public subscribed £116,455. This remarkable         effort, stands as a testimony of the generosity of the people of       Victoria. The total amount subscribed by the ever-ready public     in 1925 is 46 per cent more than the total response to "The     Argus" appeals for 1924, which amounted to £79,182. In 1925       the extraordinary sum of £123,417 was subscribed, but this in-     cluded £49,839 contributed through these columns to the relief   of distress caused by the Japanese earthquake, and £7,397 raised in response to appeals for funds for those members of the Vic-       torian Police Force who remained loyal at the time of the       mutiny.      

The total for 1925 is noteworthy as an exemplification of  

the generosity of the public in respect to special appeals, the   response to which was a total contribution of £102,469. Appeals for St. Vincent's Hospital and the Melbourne Eye and Ear Hospital alone represented £57,676

of this total. Of especial interest is the response of the public towards appeals for distressed individuals. Country hospitals were not forgotten by donors, while practically every charitable institution in the metropolis had cause at one time or another in the year to thank public-minded citizens who forwarded to this office

sums for contribution to their funds.        

In addition to public subscription, a large sum is allocated every year by the

Edward Wilson (of "The Argus") Trust to charitable institutions.    

Details of the sums subscribed through these columns in 1925 are as follow:—

Special Appeals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 102,469 Institutions in other States .. .. .. .. 4,356 Appeals for Individuals .. .. .. .. .. 2,495

Memorial Funds .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 58 Country Hospitals .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,400

Various Institutions .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4,681

Total .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 116,453

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