The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1921. EMPIRE COMMUNICATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1921, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1921. EMPIRE COMMUNICATION.

At the Premiers’ Conference, on Tuesday last, Mr. W. M. Hughes (Australia) went very fully into the question of the vital need for the establishment of a means that would ensure closer communication between the Dominions and England, and between the Dominions themselves. From an academical point of view his elaborate arguments were quite worthy of his reputation, but from a practical aspect they are open to the damaging criticism that Mr. Massey promptly supplied. The means that Mr. Hughes desires to employ as “the only effective avenue through which a mutual understanding can be gained is that of the Press, and the only practical method of a wide distribution of news is by means of high power wireless stations.” Mr. Hughes appears to be greatly concerned over the formation of public opinion, which he regards as “the most important factor in the modern world,” hence, as that opinion is largely dependent on the facts placed before the people through the Press, the information given should not only be accurate but sufficiently adequate to enable a correct public opinion to be formed and be the “dominant factor in the determination of the future of the wide Empire, whieh itself is a world within a world.” As a testimony to the value of the services of the Press these sentiments are acceptable, but Mr. Hughes knows very well —none better-—that on many important matters public opinion is not formed on facts, and is certainly not the dominant factor in, Empire development. Parliaments are supposedly representative of public opinion, but electoral methods can so be manipulated that the minority rule instead of the majority. That, however, is by the way. No sensible person would for a moment question that it would be most advantageous to have a complete chain of wireless stations connecting up the whole of the Empire, but it is even more certain that no reliable public opinion can or would be formed on the spur of the moment by the receipt of radio messages. Those whose reasoning powers are properly adjusted find it advisable to await the arrival of news from overseas before arriving at final conclusions on matters of importance affecting the Empire, when the cable is not sufficiently definite. Meagre as are the cablegrams in many eases, those from Britain are, on the whole, well summarised. Here, it may be remarked that it is not the quantity so much as the quality of the contents of cabled Press messages that is of the first importance, and it is quite probable that a cheaper and larger service would greatly increase the number of trifling messages, rather than amplify those messages which are of real importance. So far as State communications are concerned, wireless messages, as Mr. Massey points out, cannot be used owing to the lack of secrecy and the difficulties of decoding any discussion carried on by such means. For commercial purposes radio messages would be of great service, the real urgent need of the time being rapid ocean transport, and it is in that direction the greatest benefit would be found. There was much mention of strengthening the bonds of Empire by carrying the human voice round the world, but that was mere sentimental trimming. The same may be said of Mr. Hughes’

i dissertation on the value of the [“voice of the people,” and the [creation of public opinion. It is well known that the creation of ! so-called publie opinion has been I reduced to a fine art by professional politicians and wire-pullers. Even some of the Premiers find it politic to include in their entourage a publicity agent for their own glorification. The public spirit of the Press of the Dominion has been widely recognised, but all the same the party bias is there in many eases. Mr. Hughes stresses the influence of the Press in forming public opinion, but Mr. Holman (another Australian politician) condemns the Press in scathing terms. What are the people to believe? The fact is Mr. Hughes is obsessed with an idea that radio communications are the pivot on which the Empire should turn. He, for the moment, was up in the clouds. When he regains terra flrma he may realise there are other matters of prime importance to the Empire demanding attention more urgently than the flooding of the overseas newspapers with wireless messages. What is needed is a dependable organisation for the dispatch of important- news to and from the Empire, the cheapening of the cables, speeding up and cheapening of ocean transport, and the development of wireless for suitable purposes. There is not the slightest need to worry over public opinion; it ean very well look after itself, even under present conditions.