EMPIRE PRESSMEN

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 59, 4 December 1918, Page 3

EMPIRE PRESSMEN

CONFERENCE IN LONDON OVERSEA CABLE NEWS SERVICES

I In August Inst tho Empire Press Union arranged a gathering to meet visiting editors from Australia, Kow ftentad, and South Africa, then on a tour of tho United Kingdom and the Western front, i Lord Burnham (one of tho founders and president of the union) presided, and there was a good attendance of dolegates from; tho overseas Dominions and a representative gathering of British journalists, including several London correspondents of overseas papers. There were present:—The JRiglit Hon. Lord Burnham (president), Sir George Riddell, Bart. ("News of the World"), Sir Harry Brittain, H. C. Bobbins (Press Association), J. 0. Fairfax ("Sydney Morning Herald"), Sir William Sowdcii ("Adelaide Register"), 11. Campbell Jones ("Sydney Sun"), J. J. Knight ("Brisbane Courier"), W. H. Siimnonds ("Ho,bart Mercury"), J. C. Mackintosh ("Melbourne Argus" and "Australasian"), A. Carson ("M'est Australian," Perth), Ward Jackeon ("Rand Daily Mail"), G. A. L. Green ("Cape Argus"), T. W. Mackenzie ("Bloenifoiitein Friend"), Dr. F. V. Engelenburg ("De Yolkstem," Pretoria), David Pollock ("Durban Advertiser"), R. H. Douglas ("Rhodesia Herald"), George Fenwiek ("Otago Daily Times," Bunedm), Hon. W. J. Geddis ("New Zealand Times"), 31. L. Reading, ("Lyttolton Times," Christehurch), diaries Earle (Dominion, Wellington), Fred Pirani. ("Feilding Star," N.Z.), T. S. Townend (Australian Press Association), F. Hindo ("Yorkshire Post"), Keith Murdoch (United Cable Service of Australasia), J. P. Collins ("Capo Times"), Alfred Harrington [ ("Argus, South African Newspapers). H. N. Southwell ("Sydney Evening News"), P- Chevfissus ("The Times"), Miss Anne Merrill (Canadian PTess), T. T. Champion (Canadian Associated Press), Percy Hurd ("Montreal Star"), J. Nicol Dunn, Miss Watson (New Zealand Press Agency), A. E. HanscombJPr«?s Association, late "Bloemfontein Post"), John Murrow ("Hong Kong Daily Press"), Arthur Mnson ("Sydney Morning Herald"), P. L. Weston-Edwards ("Tho Pioneer," India), E. K. Peacock ("Bendigo Advertiser," etc.), W. Lefrqy ("Canada"), Edwin Preston ("Adelaide Register"), E. H. Short ("Hohart Mercury"), A. H. Bridge ("Electrical Review"), E. Baliol S'jott ("Mining Journal"), William Marston (secretary). The chairman, in welcoming the delegates, made some reference to the question of cable rates for overseas news. "We have to see to it," he said, "that in the public interest the cable rates are reduced to a point which will give no comemrcial obstacle to the dissemination of news to all parts of the seven seas. We shall never be satisfied until we have got an All-Red route of cable communication throughout tho Empire. lom glad to think that even during this war there has been a great improvement in the Canadian service. I should like to say that that testimony has justified our existence by showing that in outlying parts of the Dominion of Canada so much has been done, especially for those districts where it was impossiblo before for people to be supplied with an adequate news service on a commercial basis. Then comes the question of Press privilege and facility. All of you may not know that the Council of the Empire Pre?s Union has been doing its best to secure the greatest possible facilities for news collection and news gathering, for representatives of .the Press and agencies in this Mother City. During the war it was found ttiat while American and neutral papers had the advantage of obtaining first-hand information as to the thoughts and knowledge of the-official'vwld in regard to the war at private conferences, the Dominion representatires were shut out. I mode it my business to see the Secretaiy of State for the Colonies, and I found that heJwas anxious to set the matter right, btlt hardly knew how to do so. The machinery of the Empire Prees Union was immediately placed at the service of the authorities, and we succeeded in obtaining for the London correspondents., of th.3 British Dominions Press the same facilitfes for intercourse and information as were enjoyed not only by the representatives of the . United States'and Allied countries', but also of our own newspaper Press. 'At the present, moment there is not a. conference that takes place which; shuts its doors against the representatives of the Dominion Press, who seo Ministers of State ond obtain. matter for publication with great advantage to the public. What has ben done now will remain hereafter, and it will never be possible for the scandal to be repeated that representatives of the Dominion Press were actually being treated worse than representatives of foreign newspapers. I don't say that the present system cannot in some measure bo improved, but I have.reason to believe that these equal facilities have worked well. What has applied to the information at home has applied to organised visits to the fronts of war by newspaper, representatives in order to see and obtain information as to what is going on in the work behind the lines. Here, also, , the Dominions Press is treated on the same tonus as our own men at home and as tho representatives of the Allied and neutral countries. St" j eral of these visits to the front have already taken plnce, and although in matters of detail supervision , has been inevitable in war time, I think on the whole lepresentativps from the Dominion? have been very fairly treated. The third matter to which I wish to draw your attention is a matter of Parliamentary privilege. In the Dominions our correspondents, where we have them, are freely admitted into the Houses of Parliament, with privileges eqimt to those of the Dominions Press itself, but here it has not been so. . Let me say in all fairness to. the authorities that the premises in which our Parliament is held are inadequate to the numbers who frequent them, and I know from personal experience that it is very difficult to provide any extra accommodation in the matter of access to the lobby and other parts of the House. I took occasion to seo the Speaker and his officers, and although you have not got all you should have and will have, for I know there nro physical difficulties to face, ns ar as possible you will have equal faciliie.s with our own men.4J Referring to the euggested Imperial news service to the Dominions during the war, Lord hrnham said they did not want the Press to become a subsidised instrument of the. ijovernment; what They wanted was the lowering of the cable rates, not only with regard to Pi ess news, but for the general .service, only provided it might pay its own. way. They wanted the best cable service that they'could get at tho cheapest rate possible. If they got that, then" the Government might leave it to the Press to make their own arrangements for news services from their own agents and Correspondents. This would give them what they needed, an J would bo much better than by stereotyped official message. "We want, in fact' (said Lord Burnham), "to run our own show according to our own views, and, if you like, according to our own prejudices. Nothing, in my opinion, would bo more fatal than that the idea should spring up among the people of the Dominions that the home Government was seeking by means of a news serviiio to influence them in a direction in which they did not believe their true interest lay. It might not be true, but the mere possibility of such an impression getting abroad would do more harm than wo by our united energies in this Union have been able to do good during our existence. Therefore, I say what wo want is the best and simplest facilities with the minimum of Government interference, and that being done we shall bo That, I believe, ie tho object for which wo must strivo in tho future, and I hope this conference will givo us some suggestions as to how wo can improve (ho facilities of communication by cable and in other ways. Then, in the second place, we would like to know in what way wo can assist the London representatives of the Dominions papers, and, thirdly, how we can best bring to bear upon those at home tho public opinion of tho overseas Dominions as to tho course, wo ought to pursue. I liopo that good results may follow our conference, and that we may be able to go forward to even more useful work in tho future than we have ben ablo to accomplish in tho past." j ] (Applause.) |