EMPIRE PRESS UNION

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 905, 24 February 1930, Page 8

EMPIRE PRESS UNION

N.Z. SECTION HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING NEW EXECUTIVE CHOSEN Press Association TIMARU, Saturday. The 20th annual meeting of the x Zealand section of the Empire Prec~ Union was held at the Herml*-,. Mount Cook, yesterday evening. T . were 26 members present. Mr. C. W. Earle, of Wellington. sided. In moving the adoption of f- <, annual report and balance-sheet, he referred to the death of the late chairman, Sir George Fenwick, who been the guiding spirit of the New Zealand section of the union since its inception in 1910. Without the great interest and enthusiasm displayed t n the activities of the union by Sir George, the New Zealand section would never have reached the high position it had now attained. Mr. Earl© stated that at a meeting of tlie executive held in Wellington a resolution had been passed, recording the sincere sympathy of the members of the union with his family. The chairman added the principal work of the executive during the year had been the selection of delegates to represent the Dominion at the fourth conference of the Union in London in June, 1930. Mr. Henry Horton, of Auckland, in seconding the motion, said that on his recent trip Home he met many pressmen, who had expressed regret at the death of their old comrade, £ir George Fenwick, who belonged not only to New Zealand, but was regarded as an outstanding newspaper man in all parts of the Empire. He knew by personal contact that the regret expressed by members in other countries was as sincere as that of members of the union in New Zealand. Respecting the forthcoming conference in London this year, he said the Home members were doing everything within their power to make the trip interesting and instructive, and in Major J. J. Astor the union was fortunate in securing as chairman a worthy successor to Lord Burnham. The adoption of the report and bal-ance-sheet was carried. Messrs. R. Furness (Blenheim). T. C. List (New Plymouth). A. L- Muir (Gisborne) and P. Selig (Christchurch > were elected to full membership, and Mr. Trevor Geddes, of the "Daily Telegraph,” Napier, as an associate member.

In proposing the election of Mr. Henry Horton as chairman, Mr. P. Selig said he knew of no other newspaper proprietor so well qualified to succeed the late Sir George Fenwick. His prominence in the Dominion and his close association with members of the union throughout the Empire, combined with his keen interest in the wdrk, would be of advantage to the union as a whole and the New Zealand branches in particular. The following office-bearers -were elected: —Chairman, Mr. Henry Horton: executive, Messrs. W. Cecil Leys, L. P. Blundell, P. Selig, W. C. Weston, C. XV. Earle, J. Ccombe, A. McNichol, R. J. Gilmour, C. Stanley Smith and E. C. Huie; secretary, Mr. G. C. Codlin; auditor, Mr. D. A. Taylor. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. C. W. Earle for his services as acting-chairman since the death of Sir George Fenwick. Eulogistic references were made to the services of Mr. W Dow, who is retiring from the secretaryship after 19 years’ service.