U.K. Press Council 'Approaching Crisis’

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29853, 20 June 1962, Page 15

U.K. Press Council 'Approaching Crisis’

iNZ.P A -Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, June 19. The chairman of Britain’s Press Council, Mr George Murray, said yesterday the recent appointment of another Royal commission on the press might mean the council was approaching “a crisis in its life.”

Mr Murray, a director and leader-writer of the London “Daily Mail.” was addressing delegates to the annual conference of the Commonwealth Press Union. He said he had little doubt that the new commission (inquiring into the economic aspects of the British press) would have something to say about the council and might even make recommendations concerning its future. It would not surprise him if the new commission recommended reorganisation of the council—but he was certain the council, however constituted and organised, had come to stay. The British PostmasterGeneral (Mr Reginald Bevins) told the conference the future of the Commonwealth penny-a-word press cabling rate would be a matter for Government decision Mr Bevins said there was no doubt “we lost money” on the press rate

Compared with the full rate of Is lOd the press rate represented a discount of 95 per cent., he said.

Mr Bevins estimated that the loss on the penny rate was about four times the revenue which the Post Office and Cable and Wireless drew from it. It probably amounted to about £750.000 a year. "I do not think it is easy to argue that the price of a service should be insulated for all eternity from changes and costs.” he said. Mr Bevins said Britain would have regard to the views of Commonwealth governments. The penny rate had encouraged the ready flow of news throughout the Commonwealth. “This has always been important," he said. “Now when our future in relation to the Commonwealth and Europe is being thrashed out it is certainly no less important. It is because of these wider considerations that the future of the press rate will be a matter for Government decision.”