PRESS CONFERENCE

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2533, 21 June 1909, Page 5

PRESS CONFERENCE

CABLE NEWS.

A VICTORIAN DELEGATE INTER-

VIEWED. ACADEMIC HONORS FOR DELE- - GATES. United Pres.- 1 Association —Copyuigiit (Received June 20, 5 p.m.) LONDON, June 19. Dr. G. A. Symo (Melbourne “Ago”), ■during the course of an interview, paid a high tribute to the efforts of the Conference. He said he had been particularly struck with the unity of opinion among men of different schools of politics regarding! the necessity for a strong navy. The Glasgow University has decided to confer, on Monday, the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon the following delegates : —Sir Hugh Graham (Montreal “Star), Mr. J. A. Macdon-, aldi (Toronto “Globe”), Mr. E. S. Cunningham (Melbourne “Age”), Mr. F. W. Ward (Sydney “Daily Telegraph”), 'Mr. Park (Capetown), and Mr. Stanley Reid (“Times of India,” Bombay).

BANQUET AT MANCHESTER.

SOME NOTABLE SPEECHES.

(Received June 21, 1.15 a.m.) LONDON, June 19

At the banquet in connection with the Manchester ship canal, there was a large company, including the Lord Mayor and a number of leading business men, and several delegates to the Imperial Press Conference. Mr. Ashworth, President of the Chamber of Commerce, deprecated “beating the Imperial drum.” Ho declared that the dire forebodings of rupture between the Motherland and her dependencies had little countenance in commercial circles in Manchester.

Mr. F. W. Ward (Sydney) said that no serious diminution of Australia’s trade was likely in the near future. Whatever Britain’s fiscal policy might be, Australia, being a gold producer, could not be paid in gold for her wool and dairy produce. Eighty per cent, of Australians were native born. They would never see England unless some extraordinary revolution in methods of transit were brought about. The problem for the Australian press was how to make the native population understand Britain. The delegates upon their return would strive to shape the course of their papers with the view of doing this effectually. In the event of Britain .losing command of the Atlantic, Canada would be able to secure her safety by lifting her finger to the United States and becoming merged therein, hut Australia might fall into the hands of a Power that might force her people to learn a new language, and adopt other social habits. Hence the open ocean route was a matter of death to Australia. In time the' United Kingdom’s navy would become the United Empire’s navy. One of th 6 most distressful aspects of English life was the living conditions of some of the. women and children in English cities. Such a deplorable sight was impossible in Australia. Could not England join, the colonies in bettering the lot of the poor? Mr. W. Douglas (Auckland) said that the press delegates would return with a deeper conception of-the greatness of the Motherland, and a warmer affection for her and her people. Mr. T. Temperley (New. South Wales) declared that on the question of Empire thero was not a jarring note among the colonial press. The representatives all agreed that the colonies must stand together, for common defence when the. hour of trouble arrived.