EMPIRE PRESS UNION MEETS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17780, 25 February 1926, Page 11

EMPIRE PRESS UNION MEETS.

SIR GEORGE FENWICK RE-ELECTED CHAIRMAN. Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, February 24. The annual meeting: of the New Zealand branch c-f the Empire Press Union was held to-day, Sir (Jeorge Fenwick presiding:. There were thirty-six members present. Sir George Fenwick, in moving the adoption of the committee’s report, said the past year was a memorable one for the New Zealand section of the union owing to the visit made to the Dominion by the overseas delegates when on their way to the third conference of the union, opened at Melbourne on September 29* last year. Very great interest was centred in that visit, for not many members of the New Zealand branch had had the opportunity c*f meeting the prominent newspaper men and women who made up the large party of delegates. “Through the march of science in its application to electric communication between many parts of the Empire, whether it be in the air or by cables that rest on the beds c*f great seas, the component parts of the Empire have been brought into closer and closer touch as the years have passed,” said the chairman. “Nor should I omit to recognise that the wonderful development c*f air transport within the past two or three years will make it possible ere long for our kith and kin of the Old Land to visit us in rapid flight through space, for it is the personal touch of hand in hand, spoken words of pleasant companionship, business discussions, interchange of thoughts that tell more than anything else in consolidating the independent interest of cur widely scattered Empire. “These recurring conferences of the Press Union are factors of great value in discussing questions of outstanding Import bearing on the welfare of the Empire. The recent Melbourne conference and tour of delegates through the States of the Commonwealth did much to awaken interest in matters of vital

import to our Empire’s welfare, and while the. divergent interests of the Old Land and of the new caused discussions both at the conference and at many public gatherings throughout the tour there was at the bottom a spirit of friendship strongly in evidence, and a realisation of the fact that there must be a certain amount of give and take in the practical work of consolidating Empire interests. The great problem of migration from Great Britain to the dominions, and particularly to Australia, naturally became prominent in the discussions, and while there were on one or two occasions speeches by Australians more or less pronounced in their opposition, it cannot be questioned that there is a widespread feeling in the Commonwealth that means must be devised to people her vast spaces, and that some reasonable basis of agreement on this important problem will be arrived at. So far as New Zealand is concerned any difficulties there may have been have been overcome, for there is a moderate stream of immigrants under the nominated system and through the agency of the admirable Flock Ho*u«e and other schemes that is helping moderately to increase our population.

“The annual, report of the committee pays a justly deserved tribute to the good work done by the secretary of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association (Mr L. J. Berry) in connection with the tour of the delegates through the North Island. Mr Berry was chosen as honorary secretary of the committee which had charge of the arrangements for the tour, and it is a pleasure to me to add my personal tributes to the admirable service he rendered. I wish also to express my very high appreciation of the gevierous assistance given by the Government Railways Board and Tourist Department in making the tour so great a success as it undoubtedly was. Everything ran smoothly, and our visitors carried away with them the pleasantest recollections of the* Dominion and its peo-ple. The membership of our section of the union continues L> be well maintained, and I doubt not there will be small increases manifested year by year. It will be gratifying to our members to know that Lord Burnham and his council look upon the large New Zealand membership of the union as evidence that the Press of the Dominion appreciates the good work the governing body has done in securing reductions of cable rates and otherwise promoting the interests of the Press. The watchful care and energy c«f the council have undoubtedly been of great Service to the Press of the Empire, and I feel sure that we in New Zealand are grateful for wßat. it has acomplished. "In conclusion I wish to endorse the committee’s congratulations to Sir Henry Brett on his knighthood. It is a thoroughly well deserved honour, for he has during the course of a long life done much to assist in building up for the NeW Zealand Press the high position it has attained, and in addition has shown the qualities of a public-spirited citizen in the prosperous part of the Dominion in which his lot has been cast. Although not personally a member of the union there is another recipient of Imperial honours to whom our body might fittingly extend its congratulations. I refer to Sir Henry Wigrani. He has, too. for a great, many years been one of our leading newspaper proprietors. and likewise a man of great public spirit, notably in the advancement of the air service of the Dominion through the creation and equipment of tho fine aerodrome at Christchurch which bears his name.”

The report and balance-sheet were adopted.

The next general conference is to be held in England in 1930. Messrs Selig (Christchurch) and Doyle (Tlmaru) were elected associate members. Messrs Burns (Christchurch) and Morris (Wellington) were elected full members. Sir George Fenwick was re-elected chairman.