EMPIRE CONFERENCE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18264, 24 December 1924, Page 11

EMPIRE CONFERENCE.

MR BRUCE RECEIVES INVITATION. (it CABLE— PiESS ASSOCIATION— COjrSIOHT) (AUSTRALIAN AND K.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATES.) MELBOURNE, December 23. Mr Bruce (Prime Minister) has received an invitation to attend the conference of Dominion Prime Ministers in London in March. It is stated that the Federal Ministry is at a loss to understand the motive underlying the summons. The proposed reorganisation of the Colonial Office, the suggested grant of £1,000,000 to assist the marketing of Empire produce, and the various trade suggestions which are impending are regarded as easily adjustable by,correspondence or cable exchanges. Beyond these matters there does not appear to be anything which could justify Mr Bruce's absence from the Commonwealth for six months. If these arc the only subjects for discussion it is taken for granted tbat neither Mr Bruce nor any of his Ministers will be sent to London to represent Australia. [lt was announced from London a few days ago that the object of the Prime Ministers' Conference would be to reach an agreement, as an Empire, on the Geneva Protocol, and the Melbourne message makes no reference to this.]