EMPIRE PRESS UNION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19199, 4 January 1928, Page 7

EMPIRE PRESS UNION.

♦ PRESS EXPERTS' CONFERENCE. NEW CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL. (TOOK OUB OWU COJUIESPOSTEXT.) LONDON, November 25. At a meeting of the Council of the Empire Press Union (Lord Burnham presiding) the resignation of Mr J. L. Garvin as chairman of the Council was accepted. Mr Garvin had found that his normal duties were preventing him from giving the necessary attention to the chairmanship. Thanks to the influence of Lord Burnham, Major the Hon.- J. J. Astor, M.P. (chief proprietor of "The Times") had been persuaded to stand for the position and he was unanimously elected. .A report by the Council upon the Conference of Press Experts convened by the League of Nations was read. This will be forwarded along with the printed report of the proceedings at the Geneva conference to members of the .Union. The London Council wish to emphasise their view of the importance of this first international Press conference (says the report). They commend the resolutions adopted to the careful consideration of all members of the Union, from whom expressions of opinion are invited, with suggestions as to any action by the Union that may appear desirable in connexion with the resolutions.' The latter have now been accepted by the Assembly of the League of Nations, and recommendations are accordingly to be made by the Secretar. iat to Governments throughout the world.

At the invitation of the League of Nations the president of tho Union, Lord Burnham, presided at the conference The conference was attended by 63 delegates, 20 assessors, and 35 technical advisers, from 38 countries. The Empire Press Union was able to take an important part in assisting the League of Nations to secure representation of the Press of the British Dominions. At the outset the League proposed to limit representation of the British Empire to the delegation from the United Kingdom, but strong representations made by Lord Burnham led to the extension of invitations to the Press of the Dominions.

The Council believe that few, if any, of the resolutions of the Conference will be found unacceptable by the general body of members of the Empire Press Union, and trust that in any action they may take to forward the principles laid down the editorial support of members may be counted ,npon. Especialy the Council desire to have the corporate opinions of the overseas sections of the Union upon all the points touched upon in the conference resolutions to ensure co-ordination of effort and agreement of aims. A sub-committee reported to the meeting that the representatives of Dominion newspapers had decided not to take part in the International Press Exhibition at Cologne in' 1928. The report by the Finance Committee regarding the publication "The Imperial Press Conference in Australia," was to the effect that owing to the vigorous efforts of the general secretary (Mr H. E. Turner) a profit of £350 odd had been made on the publication. The meeting passed a resolution thanking Mr Turner and voting him £IOO. The question of travel scholarships was mentioned. Since 1924 a sum of £450 has been in hand for this purpose, but £ISOO would be needed to grant three scholarships, the number laid down in the scheme. The matter was left over for an opinion from Sir Bobert Donald, one of the instigators of the scheme, as to what should be done with the money in hand.