EMPIRE NEWS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1005, 23 June 1930, Page 9

EMPIRE NEWS

PRESS DELEGATES URGE LOWER CHARGES CONFERENCE DISCUSSION LONDON, Saturday. The delegates to the Imper Tat Press Conference today assembled in the great McEwan Ilall. at Edinburgh University. The subject discussed was Empire communications. Among the .motions for consideration were:—(1) That the conference approves the principle of a mutual co-operative interchange of cable news between the component parts of the Empire. (2) That the conference, while appreciating the value of aircraft and long-distance telephony in the development of Imperial communication, is of the opinion that the greatest force for diffusing knowledge on which unity is based is wireless telegraphy; and urges the Government to establish throughout the Empire a deferred newspaper rate of one penny a word. (3) That in order permanently to re serve for the Empire the full advantage of wireless telephony at the lowest cost, its control should be retained by the Government. REDUCTION URGED Mr. E. Norman Smith (Canada), in moving the first motion, suggested a central bureau for exchanging news of the Empire with affiliated associations in the various Dominions. The discussion was adjourned. Sir Hugh Denison (Australia) moved a motion affirming the desirability of reducing Press rates to the lowest possible point, of introducing deferred Press rates on all routes and of securing the abolition of the terminal charges made by Governments on messages which they did not handle. Sir Hugh said Sir Basil Blackett, chairman of the Imperial Communications Co., had referred to the surplus productive capacity in communications. They could use all that capac ity for they could not Interchange too much news.

Why not use some of that capacity in carrying special deferred Press messages and doubling the Australian traffic? SPEEDY MESSAGES There was a strong argument for further reductions and facilities. The cable-wireless merger had resulted in a great decrease in the speed of transmission, the average time having been more than doubled. If the retention of the cables was necessary for Imperial strategic reasons, there should have been a Government subsidy instead of imposing the burden on the users of cables and wireless. Competition between cables and wireless should have eoutinued. They should press for deferred Press rates in all parts of the Empire not exceeding one penny a word. A wireless message to Australia, cost !’•'> : e as a message to India and Cyprus. Recently Australia had reduced landing charges from one penny to one halfpenny, but the Government did not handle messages. Sir Campbell Stuart, deputy-chair-man of the Advisory Committee on International Communications, said his committee at present was dealing with arrangements for the joint working in Australia of Amalgamated Wireless, Ltd., and the Imperial Communications Co., which would result, among other things, in the assimilation of cable rates to the wireless level. Sir Stanley Reed (India) advocated giving the merger no peace till they had secured a maximum deferred rate of one penny a word. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr. Gault Macgowan (Trinidad) expressed the hope that the support of the conference for cheaper rates for the West Indies would enable him to abandon his project of taking back a cage of carrier-pigeons to carry interisland news. Failing help they had decided to try pigeons. Mr. Theodore Fink (Australia) moved the third motion. He said if wireless telephony came into the hands of the merger the profits might be diverted to provide interest on capital invested in other means of communications instead of being used to improve the service and give cheaper rates. POWER OF THE MERGER Telephony should be reserved for the citizens of the Empire, and control should be retained by the State, at least during a period for observation. Mr. Brunsden Fletcher (Australia) seconded the motion. Sir Robert Donald (Britain) said he was not opposed to State control, but he did oppose management by the Post Office. The American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation had its tentacles into Australia and other parts of the Empire, and the merger could not compete with it. Sir Robert said it was perfectly hopeless for the Post Office to atj tempt to compete. When the corporaj tion was linked up with a radio comj pany there would be a world-wide J combination against the merger and ] incidentally against British interests, j The motion was deferred, and the | delegates left to spend the week-end | at Gleneagles, Perthshire.