35

A—sa

HEI'OHT OF I'BOCEEDIXIiS OF THE CONFKRENCE.

of the Board of Trade, Sir Joseph Ward, and Sir William Lyne, and sent to the Press —sent to a large number of papers. Unfortunately, we cannot control them as to publication, but I have not spent so many pennies in finding out what they have published as Mr. Belcher appears to have done, and I did not know that the reports had not appeared extensively. I believe they have appeared in the "Times'' and other papers. Can you tell us, Mr. Webster '! Mr. WEBSTER : I think about 14. Thk CHAIRMAN : The reports have been sent to the " Times," the " Tribune,'' the " Daily Mail," the " Daily 'Chronicle." the "Daily News," the "Standard," and the Press Association, which is an organisation for distributing information, and to other papers. Sir WILLIAM LYNE: I saw it in the "Chronicle" this morning. Hon. W. M. HUGHES : What report was that? The CHAIRMAN : That was the report that was sent of yesterday's meeting, but we are entirely in the- hands of the Conference as regards the amount of detail given, and the shape in which it is presented. Hon. W. M. HUGHES: But was one sent yesterday ? The CHAIRMAN : Yes. It is well worth consideration whether the actual text of the resolutions passed should not be furnished. Sm WILLIAM LYNE : That is what I think. Hon. DUGALD 'THOMSON : Some- of them are lather contingent upon what may happen in the future, and there might be a danger in making them public-. The CHAIRMAN : Yesterday was only the preliminary stage, but perhaps after to-day we might decide to send all the resolutions that have hitherto been passed. Mr. DUGALD 'THOMSON : Some yesterday were rather contingent. The CHAIRMAN : Mr. Cox, on behalf of the Colonial Office, do you see any objection J Mr. COX : None whatever. Tin: CHAIRMAN : Shall we take that as an instruction—that in to-day's proceedings all the resolutions passed up to and including to-day be given out ''. Hon. W. M. HUGHES : Is it proposed to merely hand to the Press the resolutions ? The CHAIRMAN : We- cannot exactly report the discussions. Hon. W. ,M. HUGHES : May I ask why you cannot— is it against natuie, or opposed to some great principle' Why cannot you ? Mr. NORMAN HILL: May we say what our experience of the London Press is'.' They give us a miserably small notice. 'The London Press treats shipping questions as of no moment to anyone lleiv W. M. HUGHES: I know it is a very vicious and entirely irresponsible Press, but I do not see anything to encourage it in the report which we furnish. A Dumber of very eminent peisons have their names put down on a piece 'if paper: no doubt those minie-s are very striking, but they can hardly convey much information to the average person outside, who likes to know what is said, but does not care much about the name of the man who said it. Mu. NORMAN HILL: If you turn 1., the way the London Press reported th'- debates in our Parliament over the Merchant Shipping Act of last Session, you will see thai they were most condensed, and gave no infor mation Sm WILLIAM LYNE: Will not you give our Press a show Mr. NORMAN HILL: Whatever you do, the Press will pay no attention to it. They will treat it as a small matter. Sib WILLIAM LYNE : In Australia and NewZealand at the present time there is a very keen desire

to know what is being done, and I feel very strongly that the people there are not satisfied, and think they ought to get more information. 1 have brought this up to-day, because I do not want in any way to divulge what is done, but if they repeat what they did last night they are very likely to take possession of all my papers. I thought this morning 1 would bring it up; in fact, I told the manager of the Cable Service 1 would do so, because he said he ought to have more information, as he was cabling out to Australia. The CHAIRMAN : I feel—and I think it is the general feeling of the Conference —that all the results achieved might fairly be given to the Press. I think there is more room for difference as to whether our freedom of conversation would be fettered a little if speeches were reported in detail. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : They cannot icpe.rt them. The CHAIRMAN : It was discussed. Hon. W. M. HUGHES: After all, what those of us who are public men in Australia are here to do is to advocate certain principles, and to endeavour to arrive at certain conclusions. In Australia they get merely the bald resolution as carried—they do not know what one does towards this, or why one agrees to it, or anything else. 1 think it is most unsatisfactory. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : We considered this matter before, and it was flecided that only the actual results should be communicated to the Press, or only so much as was approved by the Committee should be communicated : I do not see any half-way house between that and admitting the Press. If there is going to be a report of the speeches, who is going to be responsible for the reports? Who is going to select the speeches to be communicated by the Conference to tin- Press? Who is going to be responsible for their accuracy in a condensed loini Either we must have the Press present (which you have decided against, and 1 think for good reasons), or we must rest content with what we have done— giving the results, and giving anything else, that the Committee (which is the representative Committee of Australia and New Zealand as well as of the Board of Trade) decide. I should say there is no half-way house between. We will only get garbled reports. The CHAIRMAN : You do not object to the text of the resolutions being given. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : I do not object to that. Sir JOSEPH WARD: I want to say that Australia and New Zealand are taking a very deep interest in what is going on at this Conference, and it is very important to the public men of Australia as well as of New Zealand that what they are doing here should be cabled out. I offer the suggestion (it is for you to consider whether it is feasible or not) that something might be- furnished a little more fully than what is considered as sufficient here,—to be cabled out to Australia and New Zealand. 1 have no objection of coarse to it being and not to be published here. What 1 would suggest would be that resolutions carried here dependent upon contingent resolutions—if they are waiting for contingent resolutions to confirm what the first resolution is directed to—should beheld over until the matter is finally disposed of. There is no reason why the Australian and New Zealand delegates should not together agree- upon some cable to be handed over to the Press for Australia and New Zealand. Rut 1 should be very glad to confer with Sir William Lyne. and s.-e whether we cannot agree upon something lor cabling out. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : How much further would that go ? Sm WILLIAM LYNE : If \e,- are all agreed - Hon DUGALD THOMSON ; Yes, because | would object to any Sir JOSEPH WARD : None of us are anxious to send out anything to the prejudice of representatives of the delegation. What is wanted is to send out information as to the class of work upon which we are engaged Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : How would that affect the British Press?