IMPERIAL PRESS CONFERENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7016, 3 January 1910, Page 8

IMPERIAL PRESS CONFERENCE

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. LONDON, November 29. Mr R. Kyfiin Thomas, of Adelaide, who acted as chairman to the Imperial Press Conference, left London on November 16th on his return to Australia. Mr Thomas, upon' being asked on the ove of his departure to give his opinions upon the results of the Press Conference, expressed his great satisfaction with the practical work which had been done in connection with the rates for press cable messages. \ The substantial concessions which have been made by the Eastern Extension Cable Company and the Pacific Cable Board were, he hoped, only a preliminary to further reductions and to a revision of the general rates, so that commercial people and the general public might be in a position to make more general use of the facilities for rapid communication. In addition to this practical result of the labours of the Conference he considered that it had been of great service in bringing members of the journalistic profession abroad into more intimate relations with the conductors of the newspapers in Great Britain and with each other, and establishing permanent friendly relations. It had also, he believed, had a marked effect in demonstrating that’ Imperial unity, was a very real and living ‘thing, and 1 had prepared the way to a considerable extent for the deliberationsof the Imperial Defence Conference. Ho expressed the opinion, whic i he was sure would.,be endorsedby the other delegates, that the establishment of a permanent bond of communication between the newspapers of England and tho other parts of the Empire, by means of the Empire Press Union, was very desirable, and h© was confident that the association would receive warm support . in the . overseas dominions. ‘ ‘ :