NEWS OF THE EMPIRE

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 56, 8 March 1922, Page 2

NEWS OF THE EMPIRE

RECIPROCiSL SPIRIT OP THE PRESS THE CANADIAN FILM. (FROII OUR OWN CCRMIPOHBIOT,) LONDON, 12th January. "The Trail of the Maple Leaf"—the film telling the story of the 1920 visit to Canada of the Imperial Press Conference—has just 'been viewed by the ■federation of Wholesale Newsagents and the Federation of Retail Newsagents. The display was prefaced by a ' brief address by Viscount Burnham, who emphasised the important bearing upon the cause of good understanding between the various peoples of the British Com- . momvealth of some of the results of the visit. Lord Burnham told the gueets that on the occasion of the Empire Press Conference at Ottawa in 1920 delegations of the whole of the press of the Empire made a tour of Canada which had been seldom equalled and never excelled. They had withstood with endurance and ' not without success the full blast of Canadian hospitality—and those' who were proof against that were proof against the entertainment of the world. (Laughter and cheers.) He need not say that belonging -to the Empire Press Union they were not "light half-belie-vers in a casual cread of Empire." They had the fullest faith in the power and the promise that the British Empire had / before it. He believed that the peoplo of Canada had not lees—for the common benefit and common protection it offered to all the parts of that far-flung Com- ' monwealth. Like Cecil Rhodes, the people of Canada were people of one idea—that of tlje greatness and glory of the Canadian Dominion. . ■ \ Touching upon the results of their mission as newsmen, Lord Burnham said that it was common knowledge that before the last Imperial Press Conference the reciprocal supply of news and information between their two Dominions of the Crown had been poor and insufficient. Since then they had been able on this side largely to increase in amount and in value the intelligence department of the newspapers in regard to the Dominion of Canada. Nearly all our newspapers gave a great deal more ' of Canadian news, and this enabled the British public better to understand the common life and policy of the great Dominion. While he did not say that they had attained the full standard at which they should aim, they had better reason to be satisfied with the means that were now given this country to ap- ■ preciate Canada's marvellous growth and illimitable resources. It had also been his effort to secure that the supply . of British news to Canada should \ not travel wholly through American channels. So long as it was the surplus-age and by-product of the American service at was inevitably of American colour, of American topics, and of American in- ; terest. What they wanted in its stead was a service of British'colour and of British interest. He was glad to say ; that he had induced his friend and colleague, Sir ltoderick Jones, managing director and chairman.of Reuters, to inaugurate a news service while he was Jn the Dominion, which had largely remedied that defect. (Cheers.) The service was-still in its infancy, but already it had established itself, and at the last meeting of the Canadian Press satisfaction with the supplemsntary cable service that was now being carried out was expressed. This meant that, since the Empire'^ Press Conference had met, they had been able to supply what was so long desired, not perhaps to the extent that.it was destined to attain, but at least in part, for the general good and consolidation of Imperial interests. (Cheers.) It had been truly said, ''We attach people to us* by :the spirit that is ■ in us, and not by the machinery we employ." Nothing could be better than the reciprocal spirit of the British and Canadian newspapers! It was not only the spirit, of the press, but the spirit ot the two peoples joined together in theif ocean commonwealth:- ', : The film iteelf is extremely interest ing, giving views of Halifax, Quebec; and the marvellous steel bridge, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and the Far West to Vancouver. Much of the photographing was done on the rear platform of the last coach, and by this means a good idea was conveyed of the'beautiful scenery. • After some instructive views of some Canadian industries, such a? lumbering and paper, had been projected, a wonderful display of Niagara Falls was revealed.