PRESS ASSOCIATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXiX, Issue 7730, 25 February 1909, Page 2

PRESS ASSOCIATION.

; WANGANUI, February 24. The annual meeting of the Press Association was held to-day. Among those present were: Messrs E. \\. Knowles (chairman), G. Fenwick, H. Brett, L. Blimdell,, Horton, McCu.l--loiigh, McKobie, A. A. Lucas, Bond, C. E. Ken-, G. H. Joyce, "\y. H. Smith, Weston, McCarthy, Hoberfc Bell (Ashburton Mail and Guardian), P. C. Freeth, Dinwiddie,. 1.. Se'Ug, Atkin, Carson, F. \V. Jo^es, Coumbe, F. Pirani, Furnes.s, Q, S. Smith, Gothard, List, Walker, Page, Copping, and Hoben, The annual report made allusion to the deaths of the late Mr G. G. Stead, who had been a director for five years; of the Hon. Mr H. Feldwick, a very old member of the Association ; and Mr G. Humphries, who for thirty years had been on the headquarters' staff. It was announced that a new agreement had been made between the Australia Cable Company and the Association for five years, and that a supplementary report of Parliament adapted to the case of papers outside the cities \yas now being supplied, and had met with much approval. Mention w«g made of the Daylight Extension Bill, and newspaper -proprietors were warned that ' any such measure would be disastrous to the cable service, unless a similar scheme was adopted m Australia. Allusion was made to the heavy burden imposed on evening newspapers by the charge for Press telegrams, which practically remain the same as they Ayore thirty years ago, notwithstanding the I frequent concessions made to the public. I The excessive cost of messages is especially felt by the smaller papers. The report referred m complimentary terms to the coming Imperial Press Conference, and mentioned that Messrs Fenwiek. and Brott, the two oldest members of the" Association's Board of Directors, woro among the six representative^ allotted to Now Zealand. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The meeting strongly endorsed the complaints of the oppressive effects of the present telegraphic ratsa, and decided to again urge for n revision. Mr L. F. Rlwuteli was re-elected I director, representing the evening 1 papers, and Mr P. Selig was elected as the morning papers' representative. Rotorua was fixed as the next place of meeting. At a subsequent meeting of the directors, Mr G. Fonwick (Otago Daily Times) was elected chairman, and My Horton (Auckland Herald), depuiychairman.