The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1930. EMPIRE PRESS CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1930. EMPIRE PRESS CONFERENCE

Thk fourth Imperial Press Conference lias opened in Loudon under auspicious circumstances. The delegations from overseas, as a contemporary remarks, would be devoid of sentiment indeed did they not appreciate the honour of being guests at a luncheon within the historic precincts of Westminster Hall, where the Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Chancellor ol the Exchequer, and other leaders of the great political parties will deliver addresses of welcome, ft is of interest to re’all that the first Empire Press Conference, the inspiration lor which was prohidcd by Sir Harry Brittain, was held in London in the summer of IDGD. The second, through the intervention of the Great War, did not take place till eleven years later, and was held in Canada. Then came the turn of Australia to be the scene of the third conference in 19A". Dining the interval that lias | elapsed since the first conference and the fourth the world lias seen many changes, and great advances in scicn--1 ibe discovery and in the means of rapid communication. In the last live years these latter advances have been particularly pronounced. There .should ho little occasion to ernnhasiso the importance to the whole Empire of dose consideration by what lias b,eon termed '•tin. l Parliament qf I lie Press’’ of

tile means whereby news serv ees within the Empire shall he maintained on die most efficient and progressive basis, nor is that the only concern of the

conference in iclation to tiiie wclfsii ot the Empire. On the business sick lbe present conference w.ll discuss suc.l. matters as communications, cables, wireless, a.ir-maiis and so forth. In another as, ect of whi li the initial gathering in Westmii s'.er Hall imiv Ik

iooxed upon as a foretaste, it wil. afford the overseas delegates an opportunity ol e-.porieiu-itig the magnificent hospitality ol the Mother Country and of absorbing at first hand something of those great assoeiatioi s the influence of which is so potent in the British, race Not the least value of the Empire Press Conference consists, ot - curse, in < its usefulness as a link ii. -he chain of Imperial friendship aiu onsolidation. 'I lie present is ompiiaticaliy a time in which the component parts ot the British Commonwealth should be doing (heir best to pul strongly together for the Empire’s good. Since its foundation the I'res.Conference has unquestionably served a good purpose in furthering the etid of pioviding a more effective chamiei -ban previously existed for the interchange of news and views between, the United Kingdom and the farflung units of the British Empire. In developments in matters of Imperial economic policy the press of the Empire hai! taken a prominent part, and the Council of the Empire Press Union mindful of the fact that the imperial Economic Coil feren e are to follow later in the present year, has been taking steps to secure some correlation between, the Empire Press Conference and these important impending gatherings under Covernment.nl auspice'-'. After filling the position of president of the Empire Press Unionformed at the first conference in 1 COD —from j!Bf, Lord Burnham resigned that office last year, and Major Astor became president in his stead. It i> reasonahle to expect that, in the natural sequence of events, South Africa rr New Zealand will lie chosen as the meeting-pla e of the fifth Empire Conference when the time shall come for it to materialise. Jt will have been noted with interest that the Empire Chambers of Commerce Congress, which ha-s been meeting in London, and has decided to urge upon the Government within the Empire the desirability of formulating an economic policy of closer en-openuion, has selected New Zealand as its meeting-place three years hence.