CES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 February 1944, Page 4

CES

HBMRBF SPEEDIER TRANSMISSION FROM LONDON OVERSEAS. PRESS UNION COMPLAINTS. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.0 p.m.) LONDON, February 8. Complaints of a lack of adequate cabling and wireless facilities between London and the Empire were made at the annual meeting of the Empire Press Union. Lieu-tenant-Colonel Astor, in his presidential address, said there was reason for anxiety in the growing difficulty of getting war news quickly i overseas to the Empire, especially to Australia and New Zealand. London as the news centre of the Empire, if not of the world, must have adequate news channels if it was to maintain its status.” “The Dominion's war effort is immense,” said Colonel Astor. They, above all, have provided superb fighting men without stint. These countries must have news day by day, and if possible hour by hour, on the progress of the war and the part their men are playing in it. . Whole days have passed with the merest trickle or news entering Australia and New Zealand and then only at urgent rates. The-Empire Press Union secured a Press flat rate of a penny a word in order to promote the flow of British news and views throughout the Empire, but owing to congestion this has not being achieved. An opportunity ' should occur for an examination oi • the whole problem of Empire Press communications with the Dominion ’ Premiers during their forthcoming visit to Britain.” BLUNT FACT STATED. Mr Irvine Douglas, London Editor of the Australian Associated Press, -said- “The need for improving cable and wireless facilities has been urged : on the Government ever since the outbreak of war, but the blunt fact must be stated that today news from London to many parts of the Empire, particularly Australia and New Zealand is often stale by the time it reaches its destination. Australia and Nev/ Zea ' land are in distance the farthest from London, but probably the closest in spirit Is it too much to claim that the staunchly pro-British sentiment of those Dominions in a large measure has been maintained and stimulated because most of their overseas news comes from London and reflects the British viewpoint? I say quite deliberately that only the very strong British sentiment of the Australian and New Zealand press prevented them from shifting their principal offices for the collection of overseas news from London to New York. More than once the pressure of events has almost compelled them to do so, but even during the bombing of London they resisted that pressure. Several prominent Australians have been in Britain recently, endeavouring to find a solution, bru they left without any promise of any immediate material, improvement and today one of them is in the United States, investigating the possibilities of getting a faster means of transmission through America. Yet those in Britain responsible for this state of affairs seem to be incapable of doing more than shrug their shoulders in a gesture of despair. Does the British Government realise what it would mean if some of the Dominions got their overseas news from foreign sources? We read that the armies of some of our allies go into action with wireless transmitting equipment not far behind them. They apparently chink the rapid dissemination of the news of what their soldiers are doing is a number one priority and we think they are not far wrong.”