PRESS CABLE SERVICE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIV, Issue 12942, 6 December 1909, Page 5

PRESS CABLE SERVICE.

Press Association.— Telegraph.— Copyright. MELBOURNE, December 5. The Press Cable , Committee's report has been presented to the Senate. It states that there is only one source of supply for the Commonwealth and New Zealand und in that sense there is a complete monopoly. The service given to the metropolitan papers ia extensive, but much of it is uninteresting to Australian readers. The Committee urges that thia position is -undesirable and detrimental to pub- c interests, because it makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for new competing newspapers to obtain a cable service at reasonable rates. It recommends the completion of the All R«d route, the establishment of a Commonwealth News Agency at the High Commissioner's Of fice in London, the dissemination of the news thus collected among the papers requiring it in Australia, the establishment of a subsidised Press Cable Association in, Australia that would give free entrance to all newspapers, with a uniform system df rates based on population and circulation, the right to select news by country newspapers, the right to use cable messages from other sources, together with copyright law for Press messages. MELBOURNE, December 6. The Select Committee's report says that the organisation of the Cable Association is so complete that it seems almost impossible for another association to start and succeed \Vithout Government assistance for the first four or five 'years. It was contended by the Association that while it had passed the whole benefit of the recent reduction to the public by means of increased messages, figures supplied by the telegraph authorities showed that while the Cable Association increas-, -ed the service at a cost to themselves of about <£183 per month, they were saving aa a result of the reduction at the rate ot <£550 per month. Senators Pulsford and Chafcsway presented dissenting reports, in which they stated with regard to the alleged monopoly that a new service might be established. The evidence disclosed a fairly, generous dealing with the Press outside the Association, especially in view of the fact that New Zealand was included. The Cable Association had enlarged the ser vice as a result of the reduction of rate*. Some doubt was thrown on the Telegraph Department's figures, and there was uo reason to question tlw accuracy of the Association's figures. Mr Chatsway dissented generally on the ground that the report was against the weight of the evidence, but he advised a reduction of tlie Australian land charges to the New Zealand rate.