The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-06
BRITISH EDITORS
 AT BIG BANQUET
Gathering Preliminary to lm-
 perial Press Congress
DELEGATES ARE WELCOMED
Coming Press Congress Will Take Up Broad Subjects and Strong Plea Will Be Made For Lower
 Gable Rates.

London, June 5.-The most representa- tive gathering of British newspaper men ever held took place this evening at the Garden club at Shepherds Rush. when 1000 journalists of the United Kingdom gave banquet In honor of 57 colonial del- egates to the Imperial Press congress which Is to open at the foreign office next Monday.
 While the Londoners predominated, ev- cry section of the British isles sent a delegate to welcome the colonial visitors, who have come to London from all cor ners of the empire. The original inten- ton was to bring the colonial men and the Londoners into closer social inter- course so that the writers of the colonies and the home lang gould become acquaint- ed, and this feature was not lost sight of. The business sessions will be given more consideration than was anticipated, In addition, these subjects will be dis cussed, namely. "The Gable News and Press ntercommuncation," when Lord Crewe will preside and Postmaster Buxton and Austen Chamberlain will be among the speakers; "The Press and the Empire" under the presidency of first lord of the admiralty, Reginald McKenna. who will be supposted by Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, Lord Cromer, Lord Fisher and Alfred Lyttleton: and Journalism and Literature. with Lord Merely in the chair and Augustin Birrell, Winston Churchill and Lord Milner among the speakers
 The colonial visitors, riveting their at tention on the first of these three sub Jects, will make a strong plea for the re- duction of cable rates and the laying of government cable across the Atlantic, sug- gested by MT. LemiueX, the postmaster general of Canada, thus linking up the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand by an "all red line.''
 A movement will be started also for the establishment of an imperial press association and the interchange of news between the colonies and England.
 The arrangements for the entertainment of the visitors are varied and include a garden party for them by Prince and Princess Oswald, which will be attend ed by the King and Queen, an army re- view at Aldershot and a naval review at Spithead, this last to be followed by a fortnight's tour Of England and Scot land.
 Lord Burnham presided at this even ing's banquet.
 Lord Roseberry delivered the speech of welcome to the press men and the re- ply was made by Sir Hugh Graham of Montreal.
 The hosts tonight included newspaper proprietors, editors and writer's
 In his address Lord Roseberry, referr- ing to the forthcoming visit of the del- egates to the fleet at Spithead charac- terized the present situation in Europe as ominous. There was an absence of questions, which ordinarily might be ex- pected 10 lead to war, he said, yet the threatening and overpowering prepara- tions for war were unprecedented in his- tory. He was confident of the power Of England to meet any reasonable eonjunc- tion of. powers, but when he saw this bursting out of nayies, he was fearful of the outcome.
 Lord Roseberry asked the delegates to carry the message that responsibility rests on every man of the empire