IMPERIAL PRESS CONGRESS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 137, 8 July 1909, Page 2

IMPERIAL PRESS CONGRESS

THE COLONIES' INTEREST'S IN THE MOTHERLAND'S DIPLOMACY. A TACTFUL DELIVERANCE. By'Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright Received July 7, 5.20 p.m. Swiiu'.v, July 7. The special correspond... L i the Sydney Daily Teh graph-refers Lo Sir Edward Grey's speech on the second day of the Press Cuufcrciav . . (.netful deliverance. Touchin c the question of press criticism, the .Minister for Foreign Affairs said: "Within tlie Empire let our criticism of each other oc always that criticism which makes clear that it lakes no pleasure in findi-ig . fault. I would deprecate very much any idea that the Foreign Office is mure ready to compromise with'foreign countries where the interests of the colonies are concerned, though now and then the I self-governing dominions beyond the seas may think that in sonic settlement with n foreign country the British Foreign Office has not been stiff enough in upholding British interests. If we were to exert the extreme letter, and once hold that we ought to get everything that we claim, the British Empire wouli become impossible. I do not mean for a moment that we should give up what we have got. You will find in every part of the world that when any changes are in prospect we are to uav3 the greatest share."

NEWS BY MAIL. INTERESTING PROCEEDINGS. Sydney, July 7. The Daily Telegraph publishes an ut teresting account from its special correspondent of the opening session of the Press Conference. He says it was a striking gathering;' called for memorable reasons at a portentous time and held nt a place of great associations. DOWNING STREET. Here at last was Downing Street, the home of splendid dreams', incredible miscondilions and mismanagement, but still of unavailcd achievements.

Every editor present had tilted at it, ridiculed its importance, condemned it? Jollies, and torn it to shreds. Here, top, was its director for the moment, Lord Crewe (Secretary of State for the Colonics), with courteous halting and bidding them welcome, and inviting thcin to stand up to him and say their worst. It was a strange, significant meeting which will surely make history. SELF-CONSCIOUS GATHERING. I Both sides were painfully self-con- | BCioUS.

Lord Crewe halted and halted, and threatened repeatedly to die entirely in the middle of a sentence. He realised to the full the critical nature of his audience. In a sense it was a bad start for the Mother Country to have to put up with Lord Crewe, and perhaps his weak opening will go far to convince all of the fact so nobly appreciated by Mr. Chamberlain, that the colonies "are the strong end of the Empire of the very near future, and worthy of administrative talent—not of one of the weakest but of one of the greatest men any Ministry can command." LORD CREWE.

Not that Lord Crowe strikes one :s a weak man, but he is far from brilliant—not the sort of man. to consolidate the Empire. He stumbled along, eaying things which read much better than they rounded, and set the conference open and on its legs; but he had failed to spark it as occasion demanded, and the wheels on the first day went heavily.

WELCOMING THE DELEGATES. 'After welcoming the remaining delsgates to their new surroundings, lie got to .business by declaring that ho thought the cable facilities should be placed first of all. There were countless prescriptions: for bringing the various parts of the Empire closer yet, wherever their form of cheap communications lay. Behind all, what the Empire needed, almost above all other things, was the increase of what in private life we should call case and intimacy. Important as frequent communication between the Mother Country and the oversea dominions was, in-tcr-conununication with the various dominions was equally important. PLEA FOR UNDERSTANDING.

In Lord Crewe's opinion the Empire was not really united until the average citizen of Australia was in a position to learn easily all about the development of our great protectorates and from the point of view of the British ment that the absence of easy communication has its serious side. It is extremely difficult as matters now stand for really accurate account of what was said and done over here and overseas ought to be reported at once all over the Empire. After discussing the limitation of codes and their liability to break down on great occasions, he referred to the 1 acilie cable. It had a real and a very beneficial ellect. I„ «. technical sense it did not pay, but tliey certainly were not going to forget its favor that it i both instituted and caused to be ins'tirates " SUfet ""' tial ''eduction in PRESS MESSAGES.

louchmg on the question of Press messages, with an incidental mention of the large increase when a. cricket team was touring, he declared that though he would be very sorry to see the number ol words devoted to the report of mi international cricket match diminiehod by one, he would be very glad to see word, on the subject of eve,,™., «£! :™. l r,; , ranr' t,i,lk ' arai,nyhu » df^, «iOM THE COLONIAL SIDE Mr. Kyflin Thomas, of Adelaide, in hankmg Lord C rewe for his welcome, its tilled the newspapers in the remote parts oi the Empire a „d said they spare .«■ expense in obtaining m ,w., of matters wonnM ~ lnl , o' t an« '. «nd. that thev if- , riltcs wl ' r<J '-heapened. He defended be cablegrams from any % tensne coloring to suit party purposes and said hat during his long eyerie, e »i Australia he had never Wen able to discover any such prepossession show,, whatever be politic, ol thc paper 7hc,' interpreted the cables.

UNRELIABLE CABLES. Mr. Stanley Reed, an Indian doWte ,mii moving the first resolution in favsr o a cheaper, unproved cable service, Minted an amusing picture of the nmtiutioi, of Indian cables. Journalist in ~Li i . '."-'cause practically they 11f li CBrUln t0 ™> ul » ™ion hen fuller new came. Lord Rosobcry had asked the Indian delegates lo give some guidance to tin. ,1.. "i°f icy, «' with India, It XrUo U L , J ? a '- -ith eab.e s a

RREMIXEXCE OP S'i'OßT The Hon. Buxton (Postmaster-Gener- (.','; a h 'W, s l' l '«-li. cleared Lord t-iowcs reproach about cables on cricket. A large number of incssa«es were r l toit'mh' nmtthi,tW^l « 11, fh n ' "' -" s POl'i'larity but to new ii m - ""I'O'-aut message on uclet could g0,,, „. very brief fp„ce. J tic Prime Minister made a speech . bused r ,l,loUSht * mM " abflnV T, sl,,m ';«ay as informatioh run, r l ""' , ,"',? ( ; tt » l ff "no hundred 1 ""■ lhe British i> ust (mi h , howl. Us sympathy as regards cables , lU«t sympathy had been o„ at.s uasis. re was inclined to think tint the British Press, the Po ir.ee had bee,, rather too 'literal ?► ause it carried all their good, „ t a loss. He concluded by foreshadowing a reduction in the rates. ""<i°™>g a A general discussion on Mr. Reed's! motion followed.

MR. JOSEPH OHAMBERL4IV CHEERED.

iMr .Austen Chamberlain had a great eception when he mentioned the name I»f us father. The. cheering lasted several minutes. I„ t hp ct^m( . f , ( 'IWH-li .Mr. Austen Chamberlain dwe ;, t ': t , i 11, l st acting public opinion throughout nipire. All Government and existing (able companies who had been the " w "' s «f the work should not 1 U n generously treated, hut the cable comPamcs must „,„k„ „,, their minds that U,n ". r" ''"inflinji. that fresh needs '"'' i-isiug. and Hun they will have to Jtn.lv the law to meet the new neces^

The first day ended with an nppoint'iicnt committee to evolve a lell.Ue proposal. ul

FIRST LORD OE THE AI)MII!ALTV I Me second day's proeeedi n „ s „f t |,j I res*' Conference were presided (1v ,,,. ~,. the Moil McKenna. First Lord of the Admiralty, who, in openin.. slid. "U is only from a defensive point of 'view, that we ever consider ourselves and omrelations with other nations. The .rrcat j ohject in the maintenance of the navv is' to keen open the high road of the sens. So long as we can keep dial hi»h road open, our difficulties of mutual I defence and mutual assistance in com--1 mon defence will not be so great as those which years ago confronted the Government of any great European country which hud the problem of local j riaiKport to encounter. The remot'-f, I dominion is nearer British chores to dav than the North of Prance was tq the Spuft .oWra^|i i p'ea!iury W&&&.

THE DIFFICULTIES OF DEFENCE. Dealing with local differences for the defence scheme of the various dominions, he said: "We recognise that in the development of tlie naval idea in every dominion it is essential that the mainspring should come from the domillion itself. \Y e cannot force Our strategical ideas upon you, but we will assist in every way in our power, whatever be the method by which we arc asked to assist. And we are sure that in the loiiff run, out of this process of self-development, every dominion will come ultimately to the same conclusion —that the naval problem of defence is one and the same the whole world over, and that the maintenance and supremacy al sea means the maintenance and supremacy in all Seas alike."