A DIFFICULT YEAR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 11

A DIFFICULT YEAR

-Pm« Auocistion.)

— 9 Newspaper Standards Still High PRESS UNION MEETS

(By Teltgraph-

TIMARtJ, Last Nigh't. In the course of a statement to the ■annual meeting of the Empife Press IJnion at the Herxnitage, the chairman, ■Sir 'Henry Horton, said' his first duty was to -pass a vote of condolence with •the relatives of the late Mr. A. M. Hurns, New Zealand 's oldest and most jesteemed newspaperman. He had been sa valued supporter of the union and Jfor many years served on the commit;tee. Mr. Burps had been an indefatig;able worker and as a man - of spund ;ability, his death was much laments*! ;by -all. The chairman went on to express pleasure at the appointment a former jsecretary, Mr. G. C. Codlin, had receiv,ed as general manager of thevMel.bourne Argus. Sir Henfy Horton said the , year had ;been a'diffieult one for the'Press of the Dominion. Newspaper s had faced greatly .increased labour . costs, - higher iCo'st of newsprint, and competition in Hadvertising over the air. Ip epite of these drawbacks, it was gratifying to notice that all publications . had en;deavoured to 'maintain the high stand!ard that in the past had brbught praise tfrom all intelligent visitors to the coun;try. Thi^ gtandard, ,he was surb, had ; [dorie. much in the past^to assist in.the jdevelopment .of. papers along solid ' ilines and was in striking contrast to Imucli unwholesome matter that was [now permitted over the air from some -.minor .stations. Liberty in many cases jhad descended into license and some jaction should be taken in the matter in ,'tke interests of the people as a whole. Since last meeting in Napier he had Ihad the privilege of attending in Lon,|don as delegate of the section at the ■ jfirst of the recently inaugurat^d annual ,conferences of the union. Sir Henry [Horton reyiewed the eonference re(ferring to suggeeted amendments to jthe law;, of libel and said a; new Bill fwas' introduced into, the House of ComImops bpt'it had failed, owing to its low yilace in the ballot, to reach discussiou pp the second readiug. The spe|ike> then read xesblutions passed at the cbntfereac'e dealing with Ihnpire- eommuni■ication for pr,ess purpbses, newspaper postage rates, eensorships, property right ■■ in ,news, co-operative Einpire news' service, interchange bf journalistti ,and 4r.ee publicity. He said the seconq jannual eonference of the Empire Prcss TJnion- opened in London on iiay 24 ,and he hoped they would be able to se,cure a representative delegatibn.