DOLLAR LIMIT ON NEWS SERVICES “FANTASTIC”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22822, 17 December 1948, Page 5

DOLLAR LIMIT ON NEWS SERVICES “FANTASTIC”

(N.Z.P.A.—Rcutor —Copyright.)

11 a.m.) MELBOURNE. Dec. 17. Reviewing the year’s work at the annual meeting of the Australian Associated Press, the chairman, Mr. R. A. Henderson, said that members had received nearly 3,000,000 wofds from overseas in the A.A-P. service, of which 500,000 liiid come from the A.A.P.-Reuter correspondents in South-East Asia and Pacific areas.

The increasing importance to Australia of happenings in Japan. China Indonesia and elsewhere had provided justification for the - decision of the association to secure its news of this vital territory from its own correspondents. This full factual service had been established in partnership with Reuters and the results had been highly satisfactory. ,

The Reuter partnership had proved one of the wisest things the association had done.

Mr. Henderson said one of the year's most difficult problems was that of dollars. The A.A.P. could not obtain adequate cover of the world’s news unless it was allowed more- dollars. It had agreed to the Commonwealth Government’s suggestion a year ago that expenditure should be cut to an absolute minimum, which barely permitted the continuance of a service pruned down to essentials. Rising costs in the meantime had forced the association to seek correspondingly more l dollars, but they had been refused. The public must be informed and they could not be unless basic news services were maintained. Any interference with basic news would be gravely detrimental to the national interest.

Sir Keith Murdoch said the dollar position was fantastic. There was no other country in the world in which dollars were refused for the service of news and actualities.

“We might as well open a vein and let out some of our blood, as deny ourselves information of happenings in other parts of the world, particularly in these days,” he said.