TRADE CABLE MESSAGES

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14599, 24 February 1921, Page 4

TRADE CABLE MESSAGES

w At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Press Association, held yesterday, the chairman (.Sir Geo. Penwick) referred to the efforts that had been made to' impugn the veracity of the cable messages dealing with the prices of commodities and the trend of trade. He pointed out that assertions were made, but no evidence had been adduced, even though the Association was ready to investigate any proffered. I lie charges against the Press Associalion have not been isolated, neither have they been confined to any particu- ! lar locality. Commenting on the j matter, a Southern contemporary says: ; "At the conference in Dunedin of the i .\ew Zealand Federation of Drapers and Clothiers 'considerable time,' according to the Press Association's report, 'was given to a discussion of the misleading nature of the trade information cabled to the New Zealand papers. The brief reports of the conference which were evidently supplied officially, give no further information as to the discus-sion—-the charge against the newspaper Press of. the Dominion was simply handed out for publication without any attempt being made to justify or support it. These attacks on the veracity of the Press cables relating to British and American trade conditions were initiated towards the end of last year by the British Trade Gommssioner, and were continued by the Conference of Chambers of* Commerce. So far, however, no instances have been supplied which would afford warrant for the allegations. In each case the persons impugning the accuracy of the cables have apparently expected their assertions to bo accepted without proof. Wo ild not propose to do so. Such a statement as that made at. Pie Chambers of Commerce Conference to Ihe erfeet that the Press commercial messages were .unreliable and sensational, and the expressed opinion of the nraperV and Clothiers' Federation thai tiny arc misleading, cannot stand by themselves whatever those who uttered 111■ 111 may think. As \xr have said on previous occasions, Ihe commercijl news cable service is good and reliable; the informal ion contained in it is obtained from the current reports, and it is borne out by a number of the most reputable London papers. We therefore suggest to our critics that they should supply some satisfactory proof of the accuracy of their charges."