“EMPIRE” TRADE CONFERENCE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22319, 5 February 1938, Page 14

“EMPIRE” TRADE CONFERENCE

ONLY AUSTRALIA AND BRITAIN INVOLVED BELIEF OF MR SAVAGE [From Our Parliamentary ReporterJ WELLINGTON, February 4. From information which can be gathered in official quarters in Parliament Buildings, it appears that the proposed conference in London, so often referred to in recent cablegrams from Canberra and Sydney as an Empire conference, called to discuss the revision of the Ottawa agreement, is nothing more than a conference between British and Commonwealth delegates, parallelling the discussions held by New Zealand Ministers in London last year. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) was asked to-day in an interview whether he had heard anything more of the suggested Empire conference. He referred to his declaration last week-end that New Zealand had not been advised of any such conference and added that since then he had had discussions about the subject with the Minister for Finance (the Hon. W, Nash). The result of those discussions was that he had arrived at the conclusion that the conference talked of in Australia was merely Intended to take the place of the discussions which New Zealand representatives, including Mr Savage and Mr Nash, had had with the Imperial authorities when in England. Dominion Views Known “In the first place, Mr Nash acquainted the English representatives very fully with our views about the subject and about the proposed trade treaty with America,” Mr Savage said. “Later when I arrived I also took part in those conversations. As I said last week, the British Government is fully aware of our views about the proposed treaty. I really think that the conference which is referred to in messages from Australia means that Australia will do what we did when we were in England—that is, i put forward their views on these proposals. Since the British Government knows our views already, there is no need for us to go any further and send representatives to any other conference.” Mr Savage and Mr Nash have had nothing further to say about the proposed trade treaty between Britain and America and its likely effect on New Zealand, but it is gathered from well-informed quarters here that steps have been taken to see that nothing is likely to be done to jeopardise the Pom in ion’s trade. No official statement can be secured along those lines, but that ' is the feeling which is uppermost in the affected circles in Parliament Buildings. In the meantime, while the Australian Government discusses the proposed new . CommonwealthDominion trade agreement, the authorities here are preserving the closest secrecy and nothing can be learnt of those proposals. On® thing, however, is certain. The Labour caucus will not be consulted further about the proposals, which are considered as purely a matter for the Cabinet. It is certain, of course, that the decisions arrived at between the two Governments will ensure a better trade balance between New Zealand and Australia and some extension of protection for certain types of goods made in New Zealand.