EMPIRE PRESS CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 15 July 1920, Page 4

EMPIRE PRESS CONFERENCE

By Licet r>* - Telegraph—Copy rigid ) LONDON, July 13. Lord Burnham gave a luncheon at the Savoy to prominent British journalists, who arc delegates to the Empire Press Union Conference in Canada in order to welcome the overseas delegates to the Conference. Among them were. (Messrs 11. Horton and V. Selig (New Zealand); Lovekin, Langler, Jeffrey, La me I and Kirwan. Lord, Burnham in welcoming thedelegates, recalled the service the 1909 Conference had tendered to the Empire, and trusted that the results of the 1920 Conference would bo no less valuable.

blr Kirwan in responding, said that it was due to the 1909 Conference that journalists had got a full understanding of the Empire, which had proved so vitally important during the war.

,Mr iSftlig recalled New Zealand’s service during the war in raising an army to help to fight the Empire’s battles. Tlie visit of the New Zealand delegates in 1909 had had an important effect in New Zealand Press to adopt a more Imperial tone. When the storm burst in 1914 every village in the Empire knew what- the real issue was. This was only possible because the Press of the Empire knew why the sacrifice must bn made 'Hie Canadian Conference would deal with problems of reconstruction, such ns the distribution of Imperial man power. It was significant that in this now phase the Conference was meeting in Canada, as reconstruction problems must largely he settled and worked out in the Dominions. The meeting : n Carfada would get them all away from the idea that England was the centre of the Empire . This was no longer true as all parts of the Empire wore now centres for their own purpose. The best basis for a true Imperial issue was a full knowledge and sympathy of every part for the whole.