EMPIRE AND PRESS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 529, 9 June 1909, Page 7

EMPIRE AND PRESS

CHEAP CABLES.

THE KEY TO IMPERIAL CLOSER UNION > STATE-OWNED LINES; RATE-REDUCTION TO BE CONSIDERED {•it Tiisomrn—j-kess iasoct»TioN—rai iniom) London, June 7. The Earl of Crewe, Secretary of Stato for tho Colonies, presided at the first meeting of tho Imperial Press Conference, at which the subjects of cable news and press interr communication were considered. (Tho President remarked that very cheap communications lay behind all prescriptions for bringing the various parts of the Empire closer.* ,

. Mr. Sydney Buxton, Postmaster-General, remarked that the subject was largely a matter of finance. He promised that the Post Office would assist in securing the objects of\the conference. . '• Other speakers were: Mr.' Kyffin-Thomas (South Australia), Hon. T. Fink (Melbourne), Mr. G. Femrick (Dunedin), and Mr. T. Temperley (Bathurst). ' . . A motion, was moved to tho effect that the cheapening and improvement of communications was a paramount necessity, and that a committee be appointed to consider the best means of carrying out this object. Mr. chamberlain Acclalmcd. (Rec. Juno 8, 10.6 p.m.) London, Juno 8. . A casual mention of the name of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, provoked loud cheers, which were renewed when his son, Austen iChamberlain (Unionist ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer), stated that nothing had struck his'father more than the unity of thought and sentimont throughout the Empire upon occasions of national rejoicings, when overseas congratulations .were received • immediately. ■ . .

.Lord' Crewo (Secretary for the Colonies) quoted figures to show. tbo great number of words that cabled about cricket, as compared with goneral news. It was possible, he added, that wireless telegraphy, and tho use of tho: cables. when otherwise unoccupied, would , provide a partial remedv for the. inadequate treatment of snbjeots of greater' importance. Mr. Kyffia-Thomaa (Adelaide) said it would cause great delight in the, Commonwealth if 'tho noxt Press Conference was held in Australia. Cheaper cable" rates would enahlo tho colonics to sccuro much' fuller reports of the doings of tionie folk. Attention was called to tho poverty of colonial news in London papers* It was instanced that tho Commonwealth's,offer, of J a Dreadnought, though ono of the greatest subjects of the hour, was givon four lines. A Pica for Cable Companies. Mr. Austen Ohamberlain expressed a hope I that the conference, would not forget tho pioneer work of tho cable companies, and would treat'them gcneronsly; but-the com-, panies must make up their minds that timeß wore changing, and that fresh needs were arising. • Mr. Thomas Temperloy (New. South Wales) advocated tho All-lled-Routo and tho nationalisation of tho Pacific cable. Mr. Fenwick (New Zealand) said that tho conference \vould bo humiliated-if tho resolution (already cabled) wns not adopted. The Postmaster-General, Mr. Buxton, said that business men wore reducing coding to a fine art. This was impossible in press news, thoreforo the right to special rates had been granted in order to placo newspapers on an equality, with business men. ■ Mr. Buxton added that he had anticipated that tho conference had consulted the cablo companies,, and- he understood' that they wero willing to consider a reduction of rate? if .they wore assured of receiving considerable additional matter. The amount spent on press telegrams at-.present was small, compared with tho total .expenditure. Sir ; Hugh Graham (Canada) proposed, and Lord Northcliife (proprietor of the "Daily Mail," etc.) soconded, a resolution malting tho members of tho confr-renco a Standing Committee, to consider tho-question of an Imporial news service, and to take measures to ■ secure' a reduction of rates. This was carried unanimously. State-owned Gables: Debate Deforrcd, The discussion on a resolution moved by Mr. P. 0. Ross (Ottawa), iu favour of State-owned cables in tho Atlantic and tho Pacific, was adjourned till Juno 25, two hours being' wholly inadequate for a proper discussion of the problems involved. Lord Minto,- Viceroy, sent tho conference India's greetings. ' , . "

■Mr. Kyffin-Thomas, of Adelaide, . South Australia, has been appointed president of the whole press delegation, in/ addition to the chairmanship of the Australian section.

' ENTERTAINMENTS. THE DELEGATES AND ROYALTY. (Rec. June 8, 11.40 p.m.) London, June 8. The Speaker (Right Hon. J. W. Lowthor) presided at the House of Commons luncheon in honour of the press delegates. The Prifae Minister, Mr.. Asquitlv Mr. Haldano (Secretary for War), Sir Edward Grey, (Secretary for Foreign Affairs), .and the three Pro-Cousuls, Lords Milnor, Curzon, and Cromor, wero present. ,

Mr. Birrell (Secretary for Ireland) made a tumorous speech in proposing !■ "Our Quests." ;Mr. J. ~W. Kirwan (Wost Australia) replied to the toast.

' After listening to the debate in the House of Commons, the delegates and the ladies accompanying them motored to Marlborough House, where they were received bj" the Prince and Princess of Wales at . a garden, party. King Edward, Queen Alexandra, the Prince and Princess Naßhimoto, of Japan (who are on a visit to tho King and Queon), and representatives of tho press, professions, services, and society, were present. .

In ,tbo evening, Lord Derby, Mr; Austen Chamberlain, tho Hon. Harry Lawson (a contributor to the "Daily. Telegraph" and magazines), Mr. Moberley Beli (of "The Times"), Mr. J, A. Spender (editor of -the "Westminstor Gazotto"), Mr. E. • Donald (managing-editor of tho "Daily Chronicle"), and Mr.' Kennedy Jones (director of the Af»sooiated 1 Noivspjfpers, Ltd.), entertained a party of tho delegates to dinner.

Afterwards Lady Salisbury gave a recoption at 20 Arlington Street, S.W., where there was a brilliant gathering of politicians and aristocrats..A COUNCIL OF ADVICE If! LONDON. ' AUSTRALIAN SUGGESTION. Sydney, Juno 8. The I'rimo Minister, Mr. Derikin, is credibotl with Clio intention of creating an AUfl-

tralian Council of Advice in London, with Lord Northcote, ex-Goveriior-General, as chairman, to act in conjunction with tho High Commissioner of the Commonwealth.

HOW TO INITIATE REFOHM

WHAT HENNIKER HEATON WOULD DO.

In the course of his article partially quoted r:! ? y ' , Hennikor Heaton points out:— ii 0 capital of the Eastern Tele--SW. Company was 47,317,000. They had teen .distributing for each of tho nino years uro* ceding 1897 a dividend of BJ per cent.; for 1893 it was 7 per cent.; ivhilo they had in reserve a euir. of a million and a quarter. The company had a Bpeoial fund by which thoy could duplicate the whole of their lines if they chose. Last year their ordinary stock was at a pre. mium of 88 per cent. Penny-a-word Messages. ; "Tho obvious remedy is for the Government to buy out the companion and throw open electrical communications to the people at a penny per word. This rate is' quite large .enough to yield a large profit in view of the enormous traffic to be expected. , _ '"Let tho authorities lease two of the existing wires and try the experiment of a penny Sunday service. The cables to America will carry 000 million words, and only 25 million words (1.12 th) are .sent at ,ono shilling a word, if the cables wero Stato property tho full carrying capacity could bo used, and it would bo possible to establish a tariff of one penny a word.

"With land lines 2000 miles apart," ho continues, a penny a word at 90 words per min* uto gives ,£7OOO per anuum; 10; hours a day would give *70,000. At present the charge throughout Franco even to Algeria is less tlmn Jd.; m Queensland one can telegraph 3000 wiles for Id. The total paid by Imperial and colo- ' nlono to cable companies was £1,075,93.1 m three years.- Tho' annual average capitalised at 3 per cent. would bo rabies 0 ' 000, B0 far towatds .P urcllasin e tlu > A Dofinite Programme. ~ Th® step is to call a conference for j tno oslablißhmont of Id. per word throughout i huropo.. Next, to conncot with. our. Indian, Malayan.. and Chinese systems. Thirdly, to construct, tho land lino down tliG Malay Peninsula to Singapore, to connect Singapore'with i tno Snmatran and Javan-srstems by a few mil*s of cables; and then to loy-a- cable from Java to Port Darwin in Australia. Utilising the land lipes which,stretch to Australia with a few short gaps, and bridging those gaps with new cables, wo\inisht at onc-o dispense with , existing cables. Lastly, it wonld be necessary for lug Majesty s Government topnrchose on* or nioro of the cables strctching between-tho Ui»ted;:iungdom and .Canada. x If the Government will not helo us wamtist act without or against them. Half a dozen .members taken at random from the London °1 C< > mmCTC ß will readily take up the task. If the Governments hang bock wo can only trust to Marconi."

MESSAGES SENT BY SIR JOSEPH WARD. wS S e r 1 ' 1 ", 1 l 'he " Standard," Sir Joseph Ward yesterday , rcoeived tho following message:— .. . . Would bo glad to publish, message' of congratulation from Now Zealand throug-h you on ? ress ?°. n^er onc& to-day." ' ; Iho Prime Minister's reply was as under:— r,nr)„ri a l ? nd^ recog J! is<! . s tl,e immense impprtance of tho Press Conference which opens to-day. It will: make powerfully for. a better understanding of tho mutual interests of the Motherland and hor oversea Dominions, and theroby immediately and widely contribute to an improved and permariont basis for true Imperialism. _i\ew Zealand confidently expects peat and. far-reaching results from tho conference, and sees in the establishment of such conference another powerful link between us and the.peoplo of Great Britain.—J. G. 'Ward." A cablegram w n s also received by- Sir Joseph from tho editor of tho "Daily Chronicle," as

■ "Imperial. Press' Conference meets Monday. Beg for message with, referenco to it, and tho good .work which it. can do. New Zealand has six representatives." • In. reply to this message, Sir Joseph dispatched a cablo worded as follows:— . I desire to express New Zealand's app'reoiation_of the great event taking placo to"ay- The opening of the Press Conference is another portentous mark of tho eve'r-increasine solidarity of tho. Empire.' This meeting 1 VilC J. UQlievo, result in an effective co-operation of tho press throughout all the oversea Dominions in tho cansoof trne Imperialism, arid in all tho groat movements which mako to that cnd.-J U. Ward.