PRESS CABLEGRAMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 671, 23 November 1909, Page 5

PRESS CABLEGRAMS.

SCHEME FOR INDEPENDENT SERVICE. SENATE INQUIRY. (By Telegraph—Press ABSocltttlQn-Copjrlght.) (Rec. November' 22,-11.15 p.m.) Sydney, November 22. Giving evidence before the Select Committee appointed by, tho Senate to inquire into tho press cablo service and the charges of monopoly,'the secretary of the Country Press Association said that Canada subsidised an independent press service to the extent of 15,000 dollars a year. If tho Commonwealth Government adopted a similar plan here, r a second press cablo service could be initiated at once, as arrangements had long since been mad for starting one when tho financial arrangements | vroro complete. There would bo a wonderful gain to tho public if tho Commonwealth could secure n "reduction of press messages to a a word. 'Witness outlined a scheme for 'inking use of tho Canadian .service from ifcondon and cabling it across to Australia at ''scl. a word, with a'special London service of purely Australasian news. Mr. Wynne,' manager of tho Sydney " Daily Telegraph," said that the " Telegraph's" share of the cost of landing the cablegrams at Adelaide was J!1300 per annum. There bad to bo added to this wire charges from Adelaide and tho cost of experts in interpreting, which' added another £1000 per annum. He was not in a position to say what any of 'the other principals on tho Australian Press Association paid., All of them paid mora than any subscriber was asked to pay. ' It' would remove a good many.false impressions if the whole position' could havo been shown, but that was a matter about which Mr. Mackiunon (manager of th 6 Melbourne "Argus") could givo evidence—ho could not. Ho was u'nablo to say what tho Now Zealand Pross Association paid. Ho could not suggest any Bystcni that would goSbettor cablo information. Thero was no restriction on supplying nows in other metropolitan cities, and papors there could get cablegrams on business terms. It had taken thirty years, witness added, to ( work Up tho cnble system, and it would bo, unreasonable that outsidors .should come in on tho ground floor. Ha thought that a paper which had helped to build up the system should havo more consideration than, now rivals. Originally tho association , \ as formed for tho benefit of tho papers n..uing it; it was not organised for the benefit of competitors. Evbn< tually they decided to sell cablegrams to pre? vent disintegration of the uniom They recognised that it was better to have one good cablo servico than six bad ones.