ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 36, 12 February 1924, Page 5

ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.

CANADA AND HER SISTERS. I THE COUSINS AT WASHINGTON. MR. KING SPEAKS KINDLY. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received 10.30 a.m.) OTTAWA, February 11. Setting aside a long-standing rule, Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, accorded the A. and N.Z. Press Association the first Press interview since he assumed the Premiership. He expressed satisfaction over the efforts to extend trade between the Dominions, and declared he believed whole-heartedly in preference arrangements in all cases where they could further the natural trade interests of the parties concerned. He did not believe in any arrangement which would disturb the fiscal policies of the several Dominions. Canada desired to encourage interDominion trade, but could not do this at the expense of its already established and necessary trade connections. He looked with satisfaction upon the efforts of Australasia and Canada to encourage i—imitation. He deprecated any attempt to characterise this as competition between the Dominions. There are, he says, sufficient suitable British immigrants for both. Touching Canadian foreign affairs, he stated he had read Mr. Barrett's speech inviting Canada to become a member of the Pan-American Union. He added that there are not ten men in Canada to-day who give this question thought. It is not timely if for no other reason than that no nation can become a member of that union unless it has its own diplomatic representative at Washington. Canada, of course, -will in the near future have such>_ representative, but is not ' hastening the appointment because the choice of a right man requires time, since an unsuitable appointment could ; prove very unfortunate. It is a matter of geography that compels Canada to appoint its own representative at Wash- ; ington. Ninety per cent of Canada's relations are with the United States. It becomes difficult to constantly call upon '' the British Ambassador to handle count- ' less minor matters. ' Canada long ago discontinued the ! practice of acting through the British ; Colonial and Foreign Offices, thence to ' the British Embassy at Washington. ; Canada now sends her diplomatic papers direct from Ottawa to the Em- ' bassy. It is but another shortening of ' the process to have our own man at ; Washington. It will not be long before 11 we can forward our papers from Ottawa 1 to our representative at Washington by 1 airplane. The other British Dominions • naturally are not in the same position as Canada in this respect, because their L interests are not so clearly allied with 1 those of the United States. Mr. King concluded: "The people of Canada and myself wish to express feelings of the closest friendship with the people of Australia and New Zealand. We look upon the people of those great Dominions.as particularly close kinsmen, in which we are united in the warmest ties of Empire. We happily stand together to further the great ideal of anEmpire one and indivisible as the best assurance of tteace. progress, and tranquility."—(A. "and N.Z. Cable.)