N.Z.'S MILITARY OBLIGATIONS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27593, 25 February 1955, Page 11

N.Z.'S MILITARY OBLIGATIONS

“Complete Revision” At London Talks

(Spacial Corraapondeat N.Z.PJL.)

. . LONDON, February 23. My visit to London has been the most useful of any of the five I have Paid in the last four years,” said the Prime Minister of New Zealand (Mr Holland) before leaving by air for Singapore today. “It has resulted in a complete revision of New Zealand 2 11 i tary obligations which will be made as a complement to the reassessCommonwealth strategy. There is no doubt that the Commonwealth spoke with one voice at the Ministers’ conference, and I am sure the views reached have had a profoimd influence on world opinion.” ,Holland also remarked: “Nobody Visiting Britain today could fail to be impressed by her steadily-growing WOTiSr affair increasing influence in Mr Holland’s final morning in Britain was spent visiting the Reed paper group mills at Aylesford, Kent. This group has a quarter interest in the gasman pulp and paper enterprise, and one of its M> Leslie Dougal, a director of operations in New and in charge of the paper P u ip and sawmills. Holland was shown over the Kent “ills by Mr P. G. Walker, the managmg director, and he saw something of me conversion of pulp into paper of several kinds. From the point of view of the Britpublic, Mr Holland’s visit to London has been the quietest of any he y et m ade. He made only one public speech—to the New’ Zealand society, when the Duke of Edinburgh was present—and he has spoken only on the 8.8. C. Comparatively little about him has appeared in the newspapers. He made very few visits outside London, and he did not. as in uie past, go to the Continent. He has, however, made one or two private speeches. There have been many comments that the Prime Minister “does a good job for New Zealand.’’ Antarctic Expedition Mr Holland will have many matters w fo. c b to confer with the Cabinet his Return, in addition to the Dominion's new military commitments. One of them will be the part New Zealand is to take in the proposed Antarctic expedition, for which it seems the Prime Minister has no very great enthusiasm, at least at the moment. He may find that the subject of ob“imng experienced engineers and draugfitsmenfor the PublicTWorks DeMrtment is likely to recur. He is also expected to report on his conversation with Mr Peter Thorneycroft, President of the Board of Trade, when he discussed the possibilities of meeting the Dominions steel requirements during me period of difficulty in placing order* in Britain.