PRESS ASSOCIATION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18499, 21 February 1930, Page 7

PRESS ASSOCIATION

50th. ANNUAL MEETING. CHAIRMAN’S JUBILEE ADDRESS. The fiftieth annual 'general meeting of snarenoiders in the United Press Association, Ltd., was held in the Timaru Municipal Chambers yesterday. Mr A G. Henderson (“Christchurch Times”) presided and the following, shareholders were present—Messrs H. Horton (“New Zealand Herald”), T. C. List (“Taranaki Daily News”), L. P. Blundell (Wellington “Evening Post”), C. Stanley Smith (Du.iedin “Evening Star”), E. Abbey Jones (“Southland Daily News”), H. W. Crawford (“Whangarei Advocate”). F A. Clarke (“Auckland Star”), W. C. Weston (“Taranaki Herald”), R. P. B. Bond (“Hawera Star”), E. C. Huie (“Sun” Newspapers, Ltd.), A. L. Muir (“Poverty Bay Herald”), T. M. Geddis (Napier “Daily Telegraph”), J. Coombe (“Manawatu Evening Standard”), C. W. Earle, C.M.G (Wellington “Dominion”), A. A. Lucas (“Nelson Mail”). W. Atkin (“Westport News”). R. P. Furness (“Marlborough Express”), A. M. Burns (Christchurch “Press"). R. B.- Bell (“Ashburton Guardian” and “Timaru Post”), E. G. Kerr (“Timaru Herald” and "North Otago Times”), W. Easton (“Otago Daily Times”) and T. Williams (“Westport Times”). The following additional representatives of newspapers were present by leave of the meeting, but without voting power:—Messrs O. C. Codlin (“New Zealand Herald’J. W. J. Blundell and E. A. Blundell (Wellington “Evening Post”), John Montgomery (Christchurch "Press”). C. H. Hewlett (“Christchurch Times”), A. J. Allport (“Timaru Herald”) E. Darroch (“Timaru Post”), W. F. Bissett (“Southland Times”), and P. Selig (Christchurch). The manager and secretary of the Association (Mr W. H. Ataqk) was in attendance, this being his 44 th consecutive annual meeting of the Association. In moving the adoption of the 50th annual report and balance sheet, the chairman said, that the present meeting marked the jubilee of the Association, and consequently demanded something more than the usual references, the occasion being a notable one. Mr Henderson said that he occunied the chair for the second meeting in succession because of the death of Sir George Fenwick, who was elected chairman twelve months ago. in anticipation of the jubilee, but his lamented death prevented the carrying out of that part of the programme. “Sir George was the last of our links with the very early days off the Association. He and his colleagues were outstanding men. and would have made their mark in any community. They had vision, as well as great vitality, enormous energy and wonderful industry. Trained in a day of rigid princinles and conservative practice, they laboured in a field limited by narrow conventions. Their journalism developed slowly but its foundations must have been very sound. The last two decades have been a period of great difficulty, of tremendously rapid expansion on the one hand and of vio’cnt economic disturbance on the other. In other countries there have been manv newsnnrer disasters, but the Press of New Zealand has come through all these trials stronger than ever. The Association is itself a monument to Sir George Fenwicx and the men who were associated with him in its foundation. We have to r pr o rd with regret also the death of Mr F. H. Kilo-oun manager of the ’Grevmouth Star,’ and Mr W. H. Smith, of Marton, who attended our meetings in tb" past, and also of the veteran journalist. Mr James Mitchell, who was an agent of the Association for many years.”

Mr Henderson said that the Association was established in 1879 for the purpose of providing the subscribing newspapers with a comprehensive and nmivnt domestic news service, and with as good a foreign news service as it could afford. From the inception, therefore, it had been concerned almost exclusively with the telegraphic f-mnsmission of news, and consequently Hr operations and its scone had been d.erevdent on and limited by the policy and (he organisation of the telegraph branch of the Post and Telegraph Department. No account of the Association would be complete if it did not make continuous reference to telegrapn developments. When the Association was established in 1879, telegraph communication had been established north and south, connection up the main centres of ponulation. But it was onlv in 1372 that Wellington and Auckland were connected, and Gisborne, for instance, was isolated until 1875. Cable communication with Australia had been opened in 1875. The whole service, therefore, was still in its infancy. The secretary of the Department had told the sneaker that in 1879 there were 3543 miles of pole line, but only 195 telegraph offices, and the total Daff of the branch numbered no more than 800. Transmission of course, was entirely manual. There was no tele-1 Phone service at all. In 1879 the telephone was being exhibited in New Zealand as a scientific novelty, but the first exchange in the colony, that at Christchurch, was opened only at the end of 1881. Last year there were 2098 telephone bureaux and toll stations. There were now 62.992 miles of telegraph and telephone lines, of which 9567 miles were exclusively for telegraph traffic, 48.916 miles for teleeraph and telephone, and 4509 exclusively for telephone toll traffic. In 1879 all Press messages. Association and special numbered 87.593. of a proximo tely

3,000.000 words, valued at £6190. Last vear the Press messages numbered 577 327, aggregating 98.000.000 words and bringing the Department a revenue of £74.141. the increase in 50 years being 509 per cent in messages, 3166 per cent, in words and 1097 per cent in value. .The average number of words ner message in 1879-1880 would be 40; in 3929 it would be 170. Working as the Association did with the Telegraph Branch of the Post and Telegranh Department, members had come to know its merits and its faults very intimately. Probably better than any other section of the community, the Association knew the magnitude and the value of the service it gave tht community. And the community was well served. There were now over 2000 telegraph offices in this little country. Ten years ago there were more, but in the decade there had been a vast expansion of the telephone branch, and the telephone communication had in verv many cases taken the place of the telegram. At one time, indeed, toll calls were actually grouped with telegrams, in the Department’s records. Since 1894. when separate records were commenced, toll calls by telephone had grown from 76.406 to 10,655,450, and the modest £IBOO of revenue from this source had grown to £442,896 in the last year. The Association, of course, depended indirectly on the telephones for virtually all its news from the country districts, since it was bv tele’■’one that the newspapers gather all their country news. There were over 2noo telephone toll stations ana bureaux in the Dominion, supplementi“ ,cr the 2000 telegraph stations, so that the population was undoubtedly very veil served in this direction Te°hnU-%ilv. ton. the Dergjrt.ment had made consistent progress'. From the commencement of the telephone service it was need to snr»rlemer»t the Morse service. In the eighties all comimica.tions between North and South Tsinpd.s had to be retransmitted from Blenheim, which was conseonentlv a verv important station. In 1894 aut.omatirr "trapsin tors” or “rrmeaters” were adopted to eliminate the extra working, and a mart-ed sppedinp--ijp was the result. In 1893 ouadrimipv wo rV mg was installed between Wellington and

Auckland, and the capacity of the whole service was enormously in:re. sed. For something like ten years low the Dominion has had machine printing and it was of interest to mention that the transmitter in use was the invention of a New Zealander, Mr Donald Murray. The Dominion had travelled a long way from the days of manual transmition. Those who had no experience of Press telegrams in the ild days could scarcely realise the advance that had been made. When the speaker was first on the sub-editing taff, more than 30 years ago. it was necessary to frequently go to Press without having finished the telegrams, which would still be dribbling in at 5 o’clock in the morning. In those days of hand-setting it was usual to get to press about 6 a.m. Nowadays when five and six times, and even ten times at much matter was handled, it was not unusual to go to press before 2 a.m. Apart from technical improvements. that result could not be achieved unless the telegraph service had been improved out of all knowledge. The Association, said Mr Henderson, started operations in 1879 with a manager and one assistant, and eight paid correspondents. The Association had now a manager, four assistants and a typist, and 72 paid correspondents. In 1879 there were 48 subscribing newspapers; last year there were 65. But the volume of business had expanded in a measure out of all relation to the staff of the Association. Tim cable business alone had grown in forty years from 155.000 words to nearly a million* words. In the fifty years the revenue had grown from £1486 to £19,715 a year, and the expenditure in like proportion. So far as cable news was concerned, the Association had been working in conjunction with the principal Australian newspapers since 1887. Prior to that date of foreign service was bought direct from Reuter’s though it was supplemented from time to time by arrangement with the “Sydney Morning Herald,” the “Argus” and the “Age.” There was no change of consequence until 1910. when the Independent Cable Association was formed, with its main office at Vancouver. This service was purchased, and the special service of the Sydney “Sun” was acquired in 1913. Reuter’s again entered the field in 1916, and its service was substituted for the I.C.A. In 1926 the Association entered into a joint arrangrement with the Australian Press Association and the Sydney “Sun.”

There was no record of the quantity of cable news handled until 1891-92. and then only the messages as filled in were recorded. The development of the service since then was shown in the following table:—

The growth of the .Association’s general work may also be indicated:—

The figures related, of course, only to the figures of the Association, but it might be taken that the expendituie of individual newspapers on telegraphic and cable news service had grown in like or greater proportion, and frankly he saw no prospect of curtailment. The demand for news in the country was insatiable. The public wanted all the news and the newspapers must supply it, and every year saw the opening up of fresh news sources. Recent years had seen, for instance, a remarkable development of commercial news. Sports and sporting were making constantly-increasing demands on the space of newspapers and on the staff of the Association* Never, in the speaker's recollection, had economic and social problems been more eagerly or more widely discussed. Scientific development had a growing interest for all classes of people. These tendencies became more marked every year, and the newspapers, in consequence, must cover an ever-widening field. Whatever interests the public concerned the newspapers, and the demands for the newspapers must be satisfied by this Asssociation.

"Our Association must progress if it is to exist, and we are even now at the point where we should be considering very seriously the development of the organisation to meet the new conditions. I want to warn you, moreover, that the demands for news and the cost of news-gatherir g cannot be regulated according to the variation of industrial or finanical conditions. We may have depressions and slumps, we may have waves of prosperity, but the cost of newspaper production is likely to increase presistently, and this Association will have to face its share of the increase. You would not have it stand still ,and you must know that it cannot stand still. Its service must respond closely to the demands of the strongest and most-progressive members. otherwise it will cease entirley to function. For fifty years now it has been the mainstay of the Press of New Zealand,, and in their own interests its members should permit no impairment of its efficiency and no curtailment of its service. I have to thank you for your present attention and your help during the last few months. I want to thank Mr Atack for his invaluable and unfailing assistance and to express my appreciation of his work, the work of the Svdrey manager and that of the staff during the last year. Mr Atack has been our manager now for forty four years, a truly remarkable record.”

ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report contained tribute to the memory of the late Sir George Fenwick, who was the last survivor of the founders of the Association, of Messrs Kilgour and W. H. Smith, ana Messrs Mitchell and N. Burton, old agents of the Association. The report further stated that as the Association was founded on December 19 1879. this was its jubilee meeting, and a large number of congratulatory messages had been received, including letters from the late Governor-General (Sir Charles Fergusson), the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), leading Australian newspapers and New Zealand local bodies, and a cable from the President of the Empire Press Union. During the year 979 086 words of original cables had been supplied. The present contract expired this year, and a new agreement had been made for ten years. It was intended to give a freer hand to some extent to the use of wireless news. Resolutions of sympathy with the relatives of deceased members and agents were carried in silence. Messrs Henderson and W. Easton, the only nominees, were elected to the two vacancies on the Board. Rotorua was selected as the next meeting place. An extraordinary meeting was then held, at which a number of amendments to the Articles of the Association were passed. At a meeting of directors later, Mr E. Abbey-Jones was elected chairman for the ensuing year. Mr A. G. Henderson tendered his resignation, and Mr A. M. Burns, of the “Christchurch Press” was appointed to the vacancy.

VISITING PRESSMEN WELCOMED. FUNCTION IN MUNICIPAL CHAMBERS. In the Municipal Chambers last evening, the Mayor (Mr W. Angland)

on behalf of the citizens of Timaru, extended a welcome to the members of the United Press Association, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association, and the New Zealand section of the Empire Press Union.

| The Mayor said that he was honoured to have the privilege of extending I to all present a hearty welcome to the , town. Though their stay would be , short, he hoped it would be a pleasant and profitable one, and that the work which would be transacted would be for the better management and advancement of the Association. After the work had been completed, he hoped the visitors would take advantage of any time they had at their disposal to inspect the many beauty spots the town possessed, particularly Caroline Bay, which would enable them to take away pleasant memories of their visit to the town. Continuing, the Mayor extended congratulations to the members of the United Press Association on having assembled to celebrate the jubilee of the Association, more especially as the first meeting of the Association had been held in Timaru. The late Sir George Fenwick was chairman of that first meeting, and he (the speaker) regretted that Sir George was not present that evening. The great work he had done would always be remembered by newspaper men. and the progress of the Association would ever be a monument to him. Mr Angland also congratulated the Association on the great progress which it was making. When it started it was a small commercial venture, similar to many which had been commenced in England. In reading through an address delivered by the Earl of Roseberry in London in 1913 as to the power of the Press, he noted that it was stated that In 1538 the London Press was then a mere fly-sheet, but now it had grown to such power that it could make or stop war. The Press of England, working in conjunction with that of the British Dominions, was so powerful that it should be able to stop war, and put it on one side for all time. The Mayor went on to offer congratulations on the splendid cable service which was in existence to-day, which enabled journalists throughout the country to produce, as the Earl of Roseberry had said, not merely a newspaper, but a library. Information and knowledge was gathered from all sources, and this was of immense benefit to the citizens of the Dominion. He had heard one of His Majesty ; s Ministers remark in that very room they were in that night, that the Press of New Zealand was equal to. if not better than, that of any other part of the British Empire. At this stage the Mayor said he desired to go outside the province of his civic address, for the purpose of thanking the local Press for the assistance they had given the local bodies of South Canterbury. By mature judgment, and splendid editorials, they had always helped local bodies along, and he desired to publicly thank the editors for the assistance they had given, not only the Borough Council, but to other local bodies in the district. In conclusion the Mayor again extended to all present, a hearty welcome to Timaru. (Applause.) Mr C. W. Earle. C.M.G. (President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association), acknowledged the Mayor’s welcome on behalf of the visiting newspaper men. He said that last year, when they were considering the question as to where they should meet this year, the two local delegates were most insistent that there was only one place worth while, and that was Timaru. Firstly, they stressed the hospitable nature of the citizens of Timaru, and secondly they pointed out that the newspapers of New Zealand were under a deep debt of gratitude to Timaru by reason of the fact that one of the most valuable institutions of the Press of the country was created here. Mr Earle said that he was astonished at the depth of knowledge the Mayor had shown concerning their affairs. They had all hoped that Sir George Fenwick would have been with them this year. Indeed, their decision to come to Timaru had been largely influenced by the fact that he would be able to be present. He was wrapped up in the town in relation to the formation of the United Press Association. Unfortunately it was not to be, Sir George having passed away in the interim. Mr Earle went on to say that all had been struck with the growth of Timaru. When the Mayor had been speaking ofthe growth of the newspapers of the Press Association, and of the general improvement that had taken place since the early days, he had been struck by the thought of how Timaru must have grown and expanded. When one walked through the clean streets, and saw the bright shop fronts and the bustling activity of the busy citizens, it made one feel what a live and active place Timaru was. When they looked over Caroline Bay, with its beautiful stretch of sand and wide expanse of lawns and saw the children playing, it made them feel that they would like to be here more often than they were able. Mr Earle said that he would like to discourse further on the great wealth and scenic beauty of South Canterbury, particularly Mount Cook, but time was pressing, and he could only conclude by once again returning hearty thanks for the generous welcome extended, and the kindly interest which had been taken in them. (Applause.) A flashlight photograph of the gathering was then taken.

Words. Cost. £. 1891 .... 155.000 5.220 1900 .... 333.835 4.923 1910 .... 520.981 5.018 1920 .... 731.59S 7.364 1929 .... 979.086 13,547

Year. Revenue." Experdituic £. £. 1381 1.486 1.344 1890 ... 8.408 8.217 1900 ... 7 944 7 963 1910 ... 9 272 9.338 1920 ... 13.603 11.855 1930 ... 19.715 19,403