PRESS CABLEGRAMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 683, 7 December 1909, Page 7

PRESS CABLEGRAMS.

REDUCED RATES. ARE THE PUBLIC GETTING THE WHOLE BENEFIT? (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.) - Melbourne, December 6. , The following uro further extracts from th*) 1 - report of. tho Seleot Committee appointed by " tho Federal. Senate to consider tho press cablo . • service,, especially in:. relations to charges of ; Vv: : monopoly made against tho Australian Cabla . «• Association by Senator I'earco:— '• vv, _ "The organisation' of tho Cablo Association ■ • . is so .completed that'it; seems almost 'impossible" V, for another association to start, and succeed, without Government assistanco . for the first " four or five years. It was contended by tho , Cablo Association that- while- it had passed tho whole benefit of tho recent reduction in -' ■ press cablo rates (from Is. to 9d. a .word) on ■ :i '■ to the publio by means of increased messages, J tho figures supplied by the. telegraph author^ ties showed that., while; the Cable Association had increased the service at. a cost- to itself -' ■ -..i,'- -,- of. about .£lB3 por month, it was saving,' asa ' result of / tho reduction,. at tho rate of £550 per month."

.Senators Pulsford and CkataiT&y presented ' dissenting reports, ;in which they pointed out. : , v . that,, with regard -. to. tho alleged monopoly, witnesses had 6tatod< that a'new service'might be established. Tho evidence disclosedfairlyv.-M generous dealing with the press outside th# Cable Association, especially, in riew of tho fact .that ■ New < Zealand was included. Tho ;V 1 1 Cable Association- had* enlarged- its' service : as -. !• a result of the reduction in rates, Some doubt - ..4 had been thrown on- tho Telegraph Departi ment's -figures (quoted abovo) anij.' there , waa r no reason -to question the accuraiy of ' the Cablo Association's figures. . , Senator Chataway, dissented generally from - : -'- the majority report; on tho ground that it 1 was against tho weight of evidence; but he advised s a reduction of tho Australian land line'charges : to; the ,New Zealand rate. pThe recommendations of tho Committee, u summarised -in yesterday's . cablegram, :, are; '?- Si T ko. completion of tho All-Red cablo route. (2) The.- establishment of a -.Commonwealth • : news agency at tho, Australian High--Commis-.> Bloner s office in .London. (3) Tho disscmina- - tion.of 'news thus collected among papers ro- 1 qmrmg it in Australia. (4) The'establishment 1 v ot a subsidisM. press cabla association in Australia that will givo-free entrance to" all ntiws- ' '•» i papers, .ynth;.a uniform 'system!' of rates' based- -v.- !•« oil population-and circulation. (5): Tho right 1 - ; to select news by. country newspapers.- (0) The right to use cable messages from other sources. (7) A copyright law for press messages,]