EMPIRE PRESS UNION

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 141, 16 June 1924, Page 7

EMPIRE PRESS UNION

DOMINION CABLE SERVICES

RETIRING JOURNALIST HONOURED

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT,)

LONDON", 6th .May."."-""" A very successful luncheon was held to-day at the Criterion Restaurant, when pressmen and newspaper proprietors' from many parts of the Empire had an" opportunity of meeting the London" members of the Empire Press "Union.iTiis was the., first of a series of monthly luncheons which will take place durin^ the period of the Exhibition. Viscount isurnham (president of the union) acted as chairman, and he welcomed the Dominion visitors. Among those at tlio clilet table were: Sir Thomas Bennett, the Hon. H. P. Colebatch, Sir Harry -isnttam, Sir Edward Lucas Mr T P 0 Connor, M.P., Mr. Robert Donald' Sir Hugh Denison, Mr. G. E. Fairfax, the Viscountess Burnham. Sir George and Lady Femvick, Sir Joseph Cook/Cap tain and Mrs. Lauchlan Mackinnou, . Sir. Kodenck Jones. • ■

Additional interest attached to; the occasion by the valedictory speeches an'dpresentatwn to a greatly honoured journalist who has just retired from active association with the Melbourne Argus. This is Mr. T. 8, Townend, who has completed seventy years of newspaper work, first as London correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian and afterwards as manager of the Australian Press Association and correspondent of the Melbourne "Argus." . Ihis reunion, said Lord Burnham, was i-i the true sense of the word a friendly 3 to the important proceedings of the year. No better way could be devised to bring the Empire journalists togetU•ra,VP. lri' of comradeship. "We all feel that there is „ freem/sonry among on ,° m tatf?;; what. d^erences of opinion ?■ r° la- ,He believed that the journalistic profession was honoured'"in aJ the countries of the British-Empire, mi«p I 4 ™8 » honoured it was betTLf *• 1 - hlgh standard th»fc ™» se, and maintained, not so much by theproprietors- but by the working jou"™bsts- D™ng the la Sb two generations there had not been a' infer cx _ ample here or anywhere else'of tha journalist, and one so worthy ?rc^ elY% Pe<?' than thefr S^ S t. Mr. ■ Townend. He had commenced his career 71 years ago, and had served his apprenticeship, not for seven years, but for many more on the provincial Press Ho achieved fame as London c'brresponl dent of what was. recognised as a gVeafc naional papery the "'Manchester Guard Mr" T ,?urnham then referred to Mr. Townend s part in the inauguration andh? f Au, 3trahan, P«« Associatidn, and his forty years' connection with the Lelbonrne "Argifs." So far as tb which* St^T* WaS conc«ned,-with which he (Lord Burnham) Had had a. long connection, Mr. Townend had aL S s l 7, M »n High esteem. ItV as proposed to celebrate Mr. Townend's exit from the journalistic stage by a"k* mg h«n to allow h» portrait WpaSth; nffl W f °^, fi£ d a worthy Place "in the offices of the Empire Press Union, asSrf ?° Wn?, nd sald he had often-been asked how it was he was able to last so long. He attributed it, first to 1 sense b U T titUtiOn ' a Httle —n sense, but more especially to the manyexcellent opportunities that had come vlv^*" WaS Placed in charee °f * very able newspaper editor, who took h« education m hand. At this tender age he was presented with six volumes on the subject of English Constitutional Histoiy, which it was his duty to study His comparative success as a journalist T In b«ll,Hdy due to those with whom it_ had been his good fortune to be associated, and after all these years hV™i satisfied that his services had met with some measure of approval.

MORE DOMINION NEWS IN » LONDON.

He would like to take this opportunity to make a practical suggestion. It was a very old complaint. On many occasions he had endeavoured to impress on the proprietors here the necessity for giving a little more space to the publication of overseas news. A few years ago weeks went by without a leaduig paper in this country giving a line to Dominion news. Then came the war and a greater interest began to be taken in the affairs of the Dominions Minions of pounds of British capital were invested in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa, and yet how little notice was taken of those countries by the English Press. Injustice he would say that during the list few weeks there had been a greater effort on the part of some London dailies to supply Dominion news, and he only hoped their example would be followed by some of their rivals. In thanking Lord Burnham for what he had said, and his hosts for the presentation," Mr. Townend was deeply, affected-and only his near neighbours heard his latter re".marks. ' ' ' \\ '" Captain Lauchlan Mackinnori;"'part proprietor of the Melbourne "Argus" bore testimony to Mr. Townend's work, and to the excellent cable service provided by the Australian Press Association.

NEW ZEALAND'S CABLE SERVICE.

Sir George Feriwick expressed his pleasure at being present. Mr. Townend, he said, had been more intimately associated with the Australian Press than with the Press of New Zealand, but the Dominion had a reflected glory. An agreement had been arranged" between the Australian Press Association and the Press Association of New Zealand for the supply of the splendid cable service which Mr. Townend. had been largely responsible for organising When the late Lord Northcliffe visited the Dominions he was immensely. struck with the wonderful variety and quantity of cable news that the Australian and Aew Zealand Press published, and he paid New Zealand a very great compliment. "He was surprised." said Sir George, "at the splendid cable service we had. I have no-hesitation in saying that I believe it is a service not excelled by any other in the world. This is very largely due it Mr. Townend and the splendid staff lie has had with him."