GREAT SUCCESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 304, 26 December 1939, Page 4

GREAT SUCCESS.

LONDON CONFERENCE.

DOMINON MINISTERS.

MR. FRASER ARRIVES BACK.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Monday,

The Minister of Education and Health, the Hon. P. Fraser, arrived back in .Wellington to-day after attending the conference of Dominion Ministers in London. With liim arrived MajorGeneral B. C. Frevberg, V.C., wlio is to command the New Zealand Special Force to be s-ent overseas. They were met on arrival by the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, the Minister of Lends, the Hon. F. Langstone, and military, naval and air officiate. Jhe conference of Dominion Ministers was very successful, said Mr. Fraser in an interview. Its object of enabling Ministers from (lie Dominions to obtain first-hand knowledge of the political, economic and military problems of the war and the international situation was very fully achieved. There were a number of discussions with the War Cabinet and many conferences and consultations with individual Ministers and Ministry officials on every subject affecting the British Commonwealth in general, and, as far as he personally was concerned, Xew Zealand in particular. The Dominion representatives met on a number of occasions with the Secretary of State for the Dominions, Mr. Anthony Eden. Thev met also at 10, Downing Street, at the Foreign Office, Treasury, War Office, Admiralty, Royal Air Force headquarters, Ministry of Supply, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Economic Warfare. Ministry of Civil Defence. Ministry of Information, and elsewhere.

Reviews of Position. "The discussions were invariably frank," Mr. Fraser said. "Nothing was concealed from the overseas MinLsters. All the information asked for was supplied and we were taken completely into the confidence of the United Kingdom Government. There was a general atmosphere of co-operation and helpfulness, and there were very strong indications of the importance attached to the attitude and effort of each individual Dominion, as well as of the British Commonwealth as a whole. At a meeting dealing with strategical problems we had detailed reviews of the position, or rather the various position*, by the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence, Lord Chatfield, the Secretary of War, Mr. Hoe-BelUha. the Secretary of Air, Sir Kingsley Wood, the First Sea Lord, Sir Dudley Pound, and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir Edmund Ironside, Air-Marshal Pierce representing views of the Chief of thAir Staff. "In addition, accompanied bv the Hi»h Commissioner. Mr. W. J. Jordan, and Mr. C. A. Berendsen, 1 had an interesting and most important interview with the first Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Winston Churchill, who explained explicitly and geographically the plans of the Admiralty and the results obtained, and likely to be achieved in the near future in reference to convovs, submarine attacks, pocket battleships, taideis, air attacks on shipping, magnetic mines and other matters of importance connected with the work of the Admiralty.

Varied Subjects. '"Questions specifically affecting N'rw Zealand which were discussed were the expeditionary force, its destination, pro- \ ision for transport and wife convoy, the Maori battalion, the anti-tank corps formed in Britain, Xew Zealanders in the Royal Air Force and Xew Zealand's undertaking in this respect, the common"wealth training scheme in Canada, the supply of all kinds of personnel for the Air Force, naval forces in the Pacific, war finance, the purchase of Xew Zealand commodities, shipping required for the transport of our proclucc, and many allied subjects. "The Dominion Ministers and other members of the delegations were given an opportunity of seeing the various war rooms of the Cabinet. Admiralty. War Office, Royal Air Force, and the lighter and coastal defence commands uf the Air Force. Visits were paid to some of the principal training camps, where instruction in practically everv branch of modern army technique was be in;* undertaken. A large munitions works wa« also inspected. The Dominion-' representatives saw modern militarv forces practising with mechanised equipment.

Parliamentarians Addressed. "The Dominion representatives' time in Loudon was very fully occupied with thi ec, for and even sometimes five meetings daily," said Mr. Fraser. '"They felt that as far as humanly possible ail available information had been placed at their service for the purpose of enabling them to report adequately to their respective Governments. There were some questions regarding which it was impossible for me to give at l.lie moment the close, detailed . attention which they required. I was fortunate in having associated with me Mr. Berendsen, Colonel W. G. Stevens and Mr. J. A. Waugh, who gave the necessary personal attention to all such matters." Mr. Fraser also paid a tribute to the co-operation of the High Commissioner, Mr. Jordan, and Dr. R. M. -Campbell, economic adviser to the High Commissioner's office, and thd members of the High Commissioner's staff. During his stay in London Mr. Fraser addressed a large meeting of the Empire Parliamentary Association on Xew Zealand's war attitude and effort.