An Acceptable Invitation

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21759, 16 April 1936, Page 10

An Acceptable Invitation

The Government should not hesitate to accept the invitation of the Australian Federal Government to send the Minister for Agriculture and the Director of Agriculture to a meeting of the Australian Agricultural Council to be held at Canberra next month. From the statement made by Mr H. V. C. Thorby, the Australian Acting-Minister for Commerce, it seems that the Federal Government is anxious to ascertain the views of the present New Zealand Government on Imperial trading questions rather than those relating exclusively to Australia and New Zealand. This point is clearly made when Mr Thorby mentions that the Dominion's representation at the Agricultural Council would be more efficacious than several visits of Australian Ministers to London. The Federal Government is no doubt right in assuming that the policy of the Labour Government in the matter of Empire trade is going to differ somewhat from that of its predecessor. It is natural, therefore, that the Australians should like a pre-view of the changed policy if possible. The whole question of Imperial trade agreements will soon be open for discussion again, and for rearrangement, and although in some ways they are rivals in the same field, there is an alliance between the interests of Australia and New Zealand when the matter of Empire trading agreements is being considered. It is not likely that much good can come from discussion on points where there is a direct conflict of interest; but at the same time there can be no doubt that a general indication of. policy on both sides would be serviceable when the time comes for Imperial consideration of these questions. The Australian invitation is to be welcomed because it sliows an apparent desire to co-operate with New Zealand, and the present Government could not do better than attempt to improve the relationship between the Commonwealth and the Dominion. There is no reason, of course, why the Canberra meeting should be quite confined in its scope. There are outstanding questions such as the potato and orange embargoes which should be settled. The trouble is that this question particularly has been confused with political issues, and it is possible now that with new negotiators the Commonwealth Government may be inclined to be more helpful. Such negotiations, demanding now a degree of delicacy, can be carried ' further in a harmonious atmosphere, and it is possible that a coming together at Canberra may help the present situation considerably.