TO "PASS THE BALL"

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 76, 30 March 1935, Page 10

TO "PASS THE BALL"

MEAT NEGOTIATIONS. MR. COATES FOR LONDON. PRIME MINISTER'S HOPE. (By Telegraph.— Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Significant reference to the personnel of the New Zealand delegation which is to conduct negotiations with the British Government on the meat levy issue was made by the Prime Minister at a social gathering of Coalition members which was held last night to farewell Mr. and Mrs. Forbes.

The Prime Minister referred to the importance of New Zealand having a strong delegation, and expressed the hope that his colleague, Mr. Coates, would soon follow him. It was a big battle to fight single-handed. Mr. Coates and he had worked well in the team, and it would be a very good thing to know that in the difficult and important task which faced New Zealand's representatives there was someone to whom he could pass the ball. Hearty applause greeted this reference to a matter which had been referred to earlier by Mr. A. E. Jul! (Government, Wairarapa), who, speaking as he said for the rank and file, thought it very desirable that both their leaders should be able to co-operate in a matter .so vitally important to the Dominion.

Mr. Forbes, concurring in this point, admitted that it might be inconvenient that the two leaders should be away from the country simultaneously, but lie contrasted this difficulty with the outstanding importance to the Dominion's future of the negotiations which had to be settled on the other side of the world.