IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 11 October 1930, Page 5

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

EMPIRE RADIO

STATION PROJECT

(United Press Association—By Electric

Telegraph—Copyright).

LONDON, Oct 10.

The Imperial Conference Ccnimum-<-a lions -Committee ,to-day disms-ra the question of Britain establishing an Empire Broadcasting Station in, London, bv ivbiah the British Broadcasting Coy would daily broadcast news, music etc., throughout the Emp.re. The discussion will continue next week,

r lhe New Zealand delegation suggested the erection of an Empire (broadcasting station.

fiio discussion, however, revealed that this was practically impossible at present lor financial ant technical ieasons, but the Committee is awaiting the views of the British •beadcasting Cov exports. The cost of a station capable >qf broadcasting leliftbly over tin whole Empire would he enormouk, t lid could 11 uly ho partly met by Bui •dh*. the Dominions and Colonies contributing the hula nee. The British Colonies now have only thveo thousand listeners.

The general financial position throughout two Empire make* the possibility of its Parliaments voting L'lVi-ts at i present very remote. A BANQUET. LONDON, October 10.' Many notable business men attended the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce banquet to the Dominion Prime Ministers at the Savoy Hotels over which Earl Jveagli presided. Mr J. H. Thomas (Secretary for the Dominions) replied to the toast of * “His Majesty’s Government,” which > was proposed by Sir Arthur Shirley v Beiin. Mr Thomas said that he hoped that the day would be long distant when any of the Dominions would be called upon to respond to a toast other than' 1 as one of His Majesty’s , Governments. He added: “I respond as the most stable partner of the British Commonwealth. Unlike' the Prime Ministers, I have no apprehension about the future.” The Australian Prime Minister, Mr J. H. Scullin, said that Australia for twenty-three years had given preferences to this country, 1 but the business men of this country had not taken j one hundred per cent, advantage of ~ ) them. Tile British inarm i'aeturers, he 'kaid, slifilild hot live in 'their past— glorious as that past had been. The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Horn G. W. Forbes, mentionedthat the British Medical . Research . Council had declared New Zealandbutter to be superior to any other butter in food value; and yet Britain paid twenty shillings per hundredweight more for Danish butter. The money that Britain spent in imports from New Zealand was mostly return-. . € d to Britain in payments for manuy factured goods. SELF FIRST. LONDON, October 10. I say on behalf of the Government , our first thought must bo for our people just as Dominion delegates have been saying that their policy puts their own portion of-the Empire first,” said Mr J. H. Thomas, at a luncheon to the Dominion delegates. “Despite all that had been said, the Dominions defence and security were paid for by Britain and their position, enabling them to borrow, rested on British guarantee. PREFERENCE SUGGESTIONS. (Received this day at 10,30 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 10. ■ Prominence the press is devoting to lack of British response to Dominion < delegates preference suggestions, coupiled with the fact of the story that Mr S. Baldwin consulted Mr R.. B. Bennett before issuing his statement, probably influenced the British . spokesman’s assurance to-night that none of the suggestions had been turned down and the Conference was merely continuing consideration of how the preference worked n,nd whether the United Kingdom had taken the advantage of it as fully as it could.