EMPIRE PRESS UNION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19148, 14 October 1925, Page 12

EMPIRE PRESS UNION.

RETURN OF DELEGATES, A VALUABLE CONFERENCE. OLD WORLD AND THE NEW. Sir George Fenwick and two of his fellow delegates of the Empire Press Union —Messrs. H. Horton and W.,Cecil Leys—returned from Australia by tlie Maunganui yesterday. The fourth of the New Zealand delegates—Mr. W. Dinwiddie- —returned last week by way of Wellington. Sir George spoke in terms of admiration of the English and Canadian section of the delegation, who kept up that strong interest in the development of the Dominions they manifested in their brief tour of the North Island of New Zealand. The tour in New South Wales' and Queensland, prior to the holding of the conference in. Melbourne at the end of i last month, taxed the strength of a good many of the delegates, but, men and women alike, their staying power proved equal to the task they had set themselves. Lord and Lady Bnrnham were always at their posts, shirking nothing, and ther fine example was followed by the great majority of their colleagues in the long train and motor journeys through NewSouth Wales and Queensland. Utmost Cordiality Shown. "In both of those great States, whether in the cities or in the many country towns visited, or in the wide stretches of agricultural and pastoral country traversed," said Sir George, "the English delegates particularly found much to interest them and engage their earnest attention. Everywhere the delegation was received with the utmost cordiality and the State Governments spared no effort to ensure the comfort of their visitors, special trains having been set apart for t heir use, and unremitting attention given to their comfort by the railway staffs. The Commonwealth Governor-General and the State Governors extended marked courtesy to the delegates, and the garden parties and dinners at the Federal Government House in Melbourne and at the State Government Houses in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria were thoroughly enjoyed. " But," continued Sir George, " I must not dwell unduly on this lighter aspect of the delegates' tour, enjoyable as it was. Lord Burnham and his colleagues had ever before them the important matters affecting the press and the Empire the conference had been called together to discuss. They had from the personal observation of many strenuous weeks, and from the representations that were made and information given to them at a score of gatherings, to sum up in their minds the pros and cons of important problems affecting the vital interests of Old World and New World alike, and to form conclusions concerning them that will appear in due course in the most important newspapers of the Empire.

The Claims of Preference. • " Necessarily there will be divergent opinions expressed on some of these immensely important questions. The freetrade policy of Great Britain, under which from the earliest days of her rise to commercial greatness in the world she has prospered and increased in power, is not readily considered by many of her commercial and trading magnates to be nowinapplicable to existing conditions, and some cf the English delegates hang on sturdily to their old love and will have nothing to do with the Imperial preference that the Dominions' ask for. But if I mistake not a profound impression has been made on the mindu of the majority of the English delegates that trading preference within the Empire has an urgent call for intelligent consideration." Asked whether Lord Burnham and his colleagues were impressed by the great unpeopled areas of New South Wales and Queensland, through portions of which they had passed, and whether they considered comprehensive schemes of migration from Great Britain to the Dominions should not be pressed for ward, Sir George said there Was probably hardly a member of the delegation who was not in favour of active work in this direction on sound lines being undertaken, but they realised that difficulties stood in the way. Imperial Government Grant.

Lord Burnham especially had spoken frequently on the subject in the course o'f the tour, and had pointed out that there was little probability of many people with means coming out to either Australia or New Zealand. The Imperial Government had made a practical move by voting £3,000,000 a year on condition that any Dominion wishing to take advantage of this grant should provide pound for pound toward any scheme that, might be adopted. As to the migration of workers without capital, it was recognised that there was scope for many thousands of immigrants to Australia if care was taken that they were introduced on sound principles and helped to establish themselves in the first year or two of their new life. This and other questions of profound importance to England and her Dominions were now receiving the earnest attention of some of the ablest men in the Empire, and active work of a practical kind might be looked for. Sir George added that he and his colleagues from the Dominion had spent a most enjoyable and profitable time, and regretted their New Zealand engagements did not permit- of them accompanying the other members of the delegation on the tour of Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia on which they started after the conference ended.