AN AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21759, 16 April 1936, Page 11

AN AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE

MEETING AT CANBERRA ' NEXT MONTH I DOMINION REPRESENTATION '" *■ ' NOT CERTAIN j r iFrom Our Parliamentary Reporter! WELLINGTON, April 15. "The' New Zealand Government has not yet made any decision about the invitation from the Commonwealth Government of Australia to the Dominion Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) and also the Director of Agriculture to attend a meeting of the Australian Agricultural Council; at Canberra on May 25. The invitation was received a week ago, and the New Zealand Ministry has given serious consideration tq the value of sentation at the, Canberra meeUpg, but the main hindrance to acceptance is the importance of the legislation which is to be submitted .to the New Zealand Parliament toward the end of this month or early m Although it has been impossible so far to make a definite reply to the Commonwealth GovemmemVtne Ministerial authorities in New Zealand have asked the Australian Ministers to forward the agenda paper to New Zealand so that the Dominion Minister for Agriculture may study the subjects which are to be discussed. If it should be decided that New Zealandl wul be represented at Canberra the. Minister for Agriculture wiU be the guest of the Commonweatlh Government. It is explained by the New Zealand Ministers that it is unfortunate that the necessity for discussing many subjects of vital interest to both Australia and Nftw should have synchronised with the advent of a new Government in the Dominion. Ministers here are naturally anxious to attend personally to bills which deal with the activities of their departments, and apparently none of them wishes to be absent from New Zealand when such measures come before the House. An effort is being made by the Cabinet, however, to meet Australia in the spirit of reciprocity which the Commonwealth has demonstrated, and , there is still a possibility that New Zealand will be able to send a ministerial delegate to Canberra so that numerous questions of first importance to both countries may be discussed in S friendly manner.