''The Critic'' was a weekly newspaper published in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, Tasmania, from c. 1904 to 1924 or later.

History

In 1902 Edward Mulcahy, Minister of Lands in the Tasmanian government, sued James Paton, proprietor and editor, and Gerald Tempest Massey, printer and publisher of Hobart's "pungent" ''

Clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "C ...

'' newspaper, for defamation of character, in respect of an article alleging impropriety in awarding a contract for the Strahan storm water channel. :Paton left for the goldfields of Western Australia, becoming '' Morning Herald'' representative in Bunbury, then editor of the ''

Murchison Advocate Murchison may refer to: Geographical features * Lake Murchison, Tasmania, Australia * Mount Murchison (Tasmania), Australia * Murchison bioregion, a bioregion in Western Australia * Murchison Falls, Uganda * Murchison Glacier, New Zealand * Murchis ...

'', confusingly taking the chair vacated by (the unrelated) ''John'' Paton, who had left for Johannesburg. One report says both men had been associated with the ''Clipper''. Massey disposed of ''The Clipper'' to

Walter Alan Woods Walter Alan Woods (28 December 1861 – 28 February 1939) was an Australian Labor politician and journalist. He was born Walter William Head at Oakleigh, Victoria on 28 December 1861. He later used various names throughout his life. Par ...

, and founded ''The Critic''. In 1904 he was joined briefly by Paton, who then moved to Perth, to become first editor of the left-wing ''Democrat'', which lost money from the outset, and Paton (who advocated increased borrowing and pressing on) was sacked. In 1905 he joined the Perth '' Morning Herald''. He later decamped for South Africa with a female staffer from ''Democrat'' days, leaving his wife Martha Ann "Mattie" Deane, née Davis, to organise a divorce. The paper was published and printed by *Gerald T. Massey, at 64 Collins Street, Hobart, Tasmania to November 1917. He was previously editor and publisher of ''The Clipper''. *Ernst Henry Newman, for "The Critic" Pty Ltd, at 135 Collins Street, Hobart, Tasmania. from December 1917.

Digitization

The National Library of Australia has digitized microfilm copies of ''The Critic'' from Volume 2, issue 75 of 5 January 1907 to Volume 69, issue=989, of 19 September 1924, accessible online via Trove.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Critic (Hobart) 1904 establishments in Australia 1924 disestablishments in Australia Newspapers established in 1904 Publications disestablished in 1924 Weekly newspapers published in Australia History of Tasmania Newspapers on Trove Defunct newspapers published in Tasmania Socialist newspapers Newspapers in Hobart, Tasmania