UNITED NATIONS ASSEMBLY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 59, 19 December 1945, Page 2

UNITED NATIONS ASSEMBLY

MR FRASER OFF TO LONDON ( BRIEF DISCUSSION OF MISSION (P.A.) AUCKLAND, December 18. “Our work in London will be briefly to form a successor to the League of Nations," said the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) in an interview in Auckland to-night. He added that while in London he would discuss informally the possible impact on New Zealand trade of the new Anglo-American financial and trade arrangements.

Mr Fraser is on his way to London to attend, as the New Zealand representative, the first meeting of the general assembly of the, United Nations’ Organisation. The main business will be the establishment of the assembly and the security council, and also possibly the appointment of economic and social and trusteeship councils.

“This meeting in London is really for the purpose of bringing into being the complete United Nations’ Organisation, for establishing its machinery, and. for electing officers," Mr Fraser said. “New Zealand will be a member of the trusteeship council by reason of agreeing to the Mandated Territory of Samoa being placed under the trusteeship council, which is, of course, responsible to the Assembly. At the forthcoming Assembly meeting the object will be to bring into being the organisation approved in the charter adopted at San Francisco, and subsequently approved by the Parliament of New Zealand. The preparatory commission has been operating for months now in London.” Asked if he intended raising the question of tariffs and import • control after the Anglo-American negotiations just completed in Washington, Mr, Fraser said he would do so without doubt. He would probably discuss the matter with Sir Stafford Cripps and Mr Dalton, as well as with the British Prime Minister, Mr Attlee. The prospect of a future meeting of representatives of the British Commonwealth of Nations to discuss the whole question of commercial policy proposals put forward by the United States was mentioned by Mr Frase.r. He said if such a meeting eventuated he thought the Minister of Finance and Customs (the Hon. W. Nash) would represent New Zealand.

Imperial Preference

“Imperial preference has been a very importabt matter for New Zealand, and remains: an important question, as does import control,” Mr Fraser said. “Any modification of Imperial preference would, in my opinion, have to be accompanied by tariff adjustments in other countries.” 1

Travelling with the Prime Minister are Mr A. D. Mclntosh, Secretary for External Affairs, and Mrs Mclntosh, Miss J. R. McKenzie, official secretary to the New Zealand High Commissioner in .Canberra, Mr W. O. Harvey, chief private secretary, Mrs H. Kemp, Mrsi Fraser’s daughter-in-law, and Miss Monica Granville-Jones. who will join the official New Zealand staff in London. On arrival in London the New Zealand delegation will be completed by the addition of Dr. R. M. Campbell, acting-New Zealand High. Commissioner, and Mr J. V. Wilson, of the External Affairs Department. Mr Fraser expects to be away from New Zealand until late in February or possibly early in March. The Assembly meeting will begin early in January. The party flew from Wellington to Auckland to-day and will leave Whenuapai to-morrow morningvin a Skymaster aircraft by the Pacific route. They will probably spend Christmas in Washington and expect to reach London by the New Year.