PRESS ASSOCIATION.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14648, 28 February 1918, Page 4

PRESS ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL MEETING

(United Press Association.)

• Wellington, Feb. 2<. The annual meeting of shareholders of the United Press Association was held this afternoon, Mr X Pirani,. chairman, presiding. Thirty-four members were present. The annual report mentioned the deaths of Messrs t*othard and Gardner, proprietors of the "Westpcrt Times" and ."JRotorua Chronicle" respectively, and of Messrs Cocks and Marshall, members of the staff. Mr Marshall was recently killed at the front. During the year 654,054 words of original cables had been supplied to subscribers. These Mere drawn from the two great cable services now forwarding news to this side of the world, hence it had been frequently lemarked by visitors that New Zealand papers gave a better cable service than any paper in Australia. The Press Association is able to do this by subscribing to both services. The removal of the Eastern Extension Company from Wakapuaka to Wellington had not brought about the improvement in transmission expected, for reasons outside New Zealand. The discovery and removal of these obstacles had taken some searching, but a great improvement had been effected, though there was still more delay at times than was desirable. A further alteration was likely to be made in the system of handling messages by the Pacific Cable in New Zealand, which would improve delivery and save time. Allusion was made to the possibility of the Telegraph Department's having to curtail the hours of attendance at night, in consequence of the reduction ir.: its staff, which would have the effect of reducing the amount of news that could be transmitted, but would not affect cables. The department, however, Jiad assured the directors that nothing would be done till it was positively forced upon it in consequence of conditions brought about by the war. ' Several papers had had to suspend publication, and the number now on the bocks of the association was

Messrs L. Blundell (Wellington) and P. Selig (Christchurch) were re-elected directors unopposed, and Mr F. Shaw as auditor.

The report and balance-sheet was adopted without discussion. The chairman's address was ordered to be printed and circulated. Wellington was selected for the next place of-meet ing r