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Otago Daily Times, Issue 20644, 16 February 1929, Page 20

ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN,

At the annual meeting of the Empire Press Union, held at Rotorua, the chairman (Sir George Fcnwicki, in his annual address, stated:—

The formation of the Empire Press Union was the outcome of the Imperial Press Conference held in London in June. 1900. and on the return of the New Zealand delegates from that conference steps were immediately taken to secure members for, and to constitute, the New Zealand branch of the union. This was in due time accomplished, and the first annual meeting of the branch was held at Queenstown on February 24. 191 L The branch has therefore been in existence for 19 years. At that meeting, after the election of the chairman and the committee, the members present expressed by resolution their gratification at the establishment of the union and their desire to assist the council at the head of its affairs in their efforts to promote the welfare of the newspaper press throughout the Empire. “ The expressed desire of the New Zealand branch to do its share in carrying on the important work of the union has from the outset been no mere figure of speech, either as to providing its full share of the expense involved, or in ;he hearty support it has given to the council in other ways. This is demonstrated in, the fact that in the second year of the branch there were 10 members and 18 associate members, whose subscriptions, after local expenses were deducted provided a substantial sum as New Zealand’s contribution to the general expenses of the union. That satisfactory record of membership has steadily improved until this year there are 11 full members and 51 associates. It has been heartening to the council of the union that faraway New Zealand has so fully done its share both monetarily and in generous appreciation of the council’s steady and strenuous work with Governments and cable companies in effecting inductions in cable charges and securing other concessions for the Empire press.

"As in previous annual reports, the great orogress that wireless has made and its effect on the ordinary cable services must necessarily be regarded as the subject of greatest interest to the newspaper press. The most recent, and perhaps the most striking;, instance of the wonderful reliability ot this now well-established form of telegraphy is demonstrated in the messages from the Byrd Antarctic expedition, which have been received in New York and thence despatched to all parts of the world. There have also been many striking instances during the past vear of the great value of this mysterious power in securing help for the victims of disasters at sea.

“As far as the New Zealand press is concerned, it cannot be said that wireless has yet played a very important part in the receipt of the news it publishes from day to day, although, as your committee mentioned in last year’s report, several of our members had installed receiving sets, the value of which had beqn, shown to some extent in the receipt of items of nows from abroad as well as within the dominion. It cannot, however, be doubted that the day is not far distant when wireless receiving equipments in the offices of the Dominion’s principal newspapers will play their part in the regular receipt of news. At present, through departmental restrictions, the Dominion compares very unfavourably with other parts of the world —Canada, Australia, and the United States, for example—in the i facilities afforded for its use by the press, “ The balance sheet for the year is of the usual satisfactory character. The receipts were £l9l 16a 3d, and the expenditure £lO3 14s 4d, this including £95 15s 3d remitted to the council as the contribution of the branch to the general expenses of the union. There is a credit, balance in the accounts of £BB Is lid, to which has to be added unpaid subscriptions amounting to £10.”