BRITAIN AND ANZUS

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26870, 24 October 1952, Page 10

BRITAIN AND ANZUS

PARLIAMENT

Early Solution Possible

MR HOLLAND’S BELIEF

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 23. ‘1 believe that an early solution mav be found to the question of Britain’s participation in Anzus meetings ” said the Prime Minister (Mr Ho’land) in the House of Representatives tonight. He was replying to the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash), who had ureed him to do everythin? possible to arrange for Britain’s participation in the talks. Mr Nash said that as Mr Holland would leave early next month for the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ and Finance Ministers’ conference in London, he would like to make a special point of urging the Prime Minister to do all he could to arrange for the participation of Britain in the meetings associated with the Anzus Pact.

“There is keen disappointment and surprise throughout New Zealand that Britain has been excluded from the meetings,” said Mr Nash. “It has been said that we in New Zealand can no longer look to Britain for protection in the event of war in the Pacific theatre,” said Mr Nash. “This is a dangerous mis-statment. It is clear from the events of the last war that Britain, with her grave commitments in Europe, was not able to provide all the assistance in the Pacific and the Far East that she would have wished—although we are inclined to forget the fine performance of British troops in such areas as Burma.

“Britain Entitled to Know” “Yet Britain now is interested in vital positions in South-east Asia and the Pacific—positions that affect the very core of the defensive system such as Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore. and the many islands in the Pacific ocean. Even now Britain is engaged in military operations in some of these areas. As a major contributor to the defence of the Pacific, Britain is entitled to know what is being decided in the councils of the Anzus Pact. “It has been stressed on many occasions, too, that Britain is committed to come to the aid of Australia and New Zealand if these countries become involved in war,” Mr Nash said. “Are weto .expect this assistance if we exclude Britain? It is idle to say that Britain is being kept informed. Why, then, cannot she be ‘kept informed’ by attendance at the meetings? “In view of the common ties that unite Britain and New Zealand, and in the tradition of those inspiring words, ‘Where Britain stands, we stand; where Britain goes, we go,’ it would meet with unanimous approval in this country if the Government were to give its active support to the inclusion of representatives ’of the United Kingdom in all future meetings associated with the pact,” said Mr Nash. “I am not saying this in any way to embarrass the Prime Minister, but I think we would be doing wrong if we did not strengthen the Prime Minister by saying that he would have behind him the people of New Zealand in asking that Britain be represented at the Anzus Pact discussions. We of the Opposition feel that we are expressing the view of the majority of the people in New Zealand in this matter.”

Mr Holland’s Reply Mr Holland complimented Mr Nash on the restraint of his speech: He and Mr Nash, he added, had had many discussions on the matter, and he had done his best to keep Mr Nash informed. All the decisions reached at the Anzus meetings.were unanimous, and no word of his should be interpreted as meaning that New Zealand would go back on anything signed by the representatives of the country, Mr Holland said. “There is not one single thing in the world which could happen to weaken the bonds between New Zealand and the United Kingdom,” said Mr Holland. “We draw our inspiration and our strength from Britain.” The Prime Minister said there were, however, new factors arising in the world today which should be taken into consideration. Mr J. Mathison (Opposition, Avon): Is that the beginning of the breakup? Mr Holland: What do you mean, “the beginning of the break-up”? The honourable member should have more sense. I do not want to see any break-up. Mr Holland went on to say that if events were allowed to take their normal course there would be a satisfactory outcome to the question of • Britain’s participation in Anzus talks. Public criticism and discussion of the situation might delay the achievement of a satisfactory result. Five-Power Collaboration A recent conference on Pacific matters among the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and New Zealand, he added, had shown that there was the closest collaboration among those countries. There would at no time be any duplication or overlapping in the military plans for the defence of the Pacific. “I shall do the best which lies within me to promote happy relations in the Empire and between the United States. Our welfare depends on the existence of happy relations, and the relationship which exists between the United States and the United Kingdom is the greatest guarantee for peace in the world I can think of,” said Mr Holland. The Prime Minister said he had had an exchange of opinions with Mr Churchill ana with Mr Menzies. The exchanges were personal, and there was full recognition of each other’s views. There would be further discussions between them when he reached London. In the meantime. Mr Holland said, public criticism and discussion of the situation should be avoided.

NEW ST. HELENS HOSPITAL £12,000 MORE PROVIDED FOR EXPENSES (From Out Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 23. An additional amount of £12,000 has been provided in the Supplementary Estimates for wages and maintenance and equipment at the new St. Helens Hospital. Christchurch. In the original Estimates, £13.000 had been provided for wages and £32,000 for maintenance and equipment, but expenditure has been greater than expected. The new vote comprises an additional sum of £2OOO. for wages, and £lO,OOO for maintenance and equipment. EMERGENCY FORCES ACT EXTENSION OF TERM PROPOSED (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 23 The Emergency Forces Act is to be another year to the end of 1953. Provision for this is made in a clause introduced in the House 9* Representatives today for inclusion in the Finance Bill (No. 2). The Emergency Forces Act authorises the making of regulations for the

benefit of those serving with the New Zealand armed forces in Korea. Another clause gives retrospective effect to the price order fixing the prices of phosphatic fertilisers. These prices are usually fixed on July 1 of each year, but in 1951 the price order could not be issued till August 9. Deliveries of fertiliser took place between July 1 and August 9 at a price agreed to be that fixed by the anticipated price order. The effect of the clause is to validate that agreement.