PRESS ASSOCIATION.

Waikato Times, Volume 113, Issue 18879, 24 February 1933, Page 6

PRESS ASSOCIATION.

THE YEAR REVIEWED. MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS. PRESS AND BROADCASTING. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ROTORUA, Friday. “ Your association has developed an efficient organisation for the collection and distribution of international and domestic news that affords its members a service equal to any in the Empire,” said Sir Cecil Leys, chairman of the board of directors of the United Press Association, in liis address to the annual meeting of shareholders today. It was gratifying he said to be able to record that 1932, while it was a year of general business depression, saw no falling off in the high standards which they had come to expect from the association. The amount of cable received during the year was 1,070,000 words, a record, there being increases in both the international and .Australian services. Subjects of outstanding importance and interest were dealt with. The New Zealand service had been efficiently conducted, and newspapers had relied on the association more than in the past to supply them with adequate reports of local happenings. They had to thank the telegraph department for some mitigation of the restrictions placed on the use of wires at pres rates. A reduction had been made in Sunday evening hours, hut on representations from the association the department altered the opening time, making it from G. 30 to 7.30 p.m., a concession that w ? as appreciated by the morning press.

Broadoastlng and Press,

Referring to relations between the broadcasting and the newsaper press, Sir Cecil said that the world position in the matter of the rights in news was of vital importance to the association and equally to individual newspapers. A judgment of the Supreme Court of the United States had precluded the use by any broadcasting station of the contents of any newspaper without express permission in writing. The Canadian Courts, however, had decided that any commercial radio station in Canada could make use of the news once It was on the street and could broadcast It at will. The legality of the decision was submitted to eminent counsel in London, and the conclusion reached was that while in English law there was no copyright in news as such, there was copyright in the particular forms of language or modes of expression by which information or news was conveyed. Counsel concluded that reading the news to the public through a broadcasting microphone constituted an infringement of copyright.in that it. was a performance in public without the consent of the owner. The British Broadcasting Corporation recognised property in news, and purchased Reuter’s Service at a cost of £2,000 per annum, as well as subscribing to other press agencies. In Australia the matter of news broadcasting was definitely regulated in the rules governing wireless telegraphy. In New Zealand all messages received by the association from outside the Dominion were adequately protected from pirating 18 hours from the time of first publication. It was practically certain that property existed in news, and that the internal telegrams of the association could not be legally broadcast or disseminated by any other publicity agency. The question of policy was of equal importance to that of rights.

Broadcasting was a publio utility that would steadily expand. The 8.8. C. had shown a spirit of co-opera-tion with British newspapers that was admirable. A striking evidence of this was to be found in a decision arrived at in December that a member of the Board of Governors should retire and a representative of the newspaper interests takes his place. In Canada, where the position had been chaotic, a former Toronto newspaper editOT had been appointed as 'the head of the new controlling nody. The development of broadcasting in New Zealand would inevitably advance, and the interests of the newspapers and the broadcasting service would be best safeguarded by Hie constitution of the board providing for tiie inclusion of a newspaper man selected by the Press Association. A policy could be developed that would permit a reasonable broadcast of news without injury to the daily newspaper. Annual Report Adopted. The chairman’s motion for the adoption of Hie annual report and bal-ance-sheet was seconded by Air. R. J. Gilmour (Southland Times), and was carried after a brief discussion, in winch shareholders expressed appreciation of the association's services during the year. The retiring directors, Messrs. L. P. Blundell (Evening Post) and A. M. Burns (Christchurch Press) were reelected. Napier was tentatively fixed as the place for the next annual meeting, but Hie subject will be discussed again in September. Votes of thanks were passed to the board of directors and the staff. Meeting of Directors. At a meeting of directors Mr. A. M. Burns was elected chairman. Leave of absence for six months was granted to Mr. W. Fasten (Otago Daily Times), ami Mr. 11. Horton (New Zealand Herald), who will attend Hie Imperial Advertising and Market Exhibition as New Zealand delegates.