MR HOLLAND RETURNS FROM OVERSEAS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27603, 9 March 1955, Page 12

MR HOLLAND RETURNS FROM OVERSEAS

“Successful Mission” TALKS ON DEFENCE OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA (New Zealand. Preet Association) AUCKLAND, March 8. “I feel I have accomplished a successful mission,” said the Prime Minister. (Mr Holland) on his return to New Zealand this afternoon after an absence of seven weeks. “Though the Prime Ministers’ meeting was the purpose for my mission, my journey enabled me to have most useful and informative talks in other fields in other countries, and to conduct negotiations on matters of considerable importance to New Zealand,” he said. “The top-level discussions I had with American leaden such as the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary of State, and members of the Cabinet, service chiefs and others, were of particular value.”

Mr Holland said that his visit to the United States coincided with the crisis over Formosa, in which New Zealand, through its membership of the Security Council, was called upon to play a direct part. His discussions on this matter in Washington and New York, and later at the London meeting, were most timely and useful. ‘‘Defence questions affecting New Zealand were also the subject of discussion and negotiation in London,” Mr Holland said, “and by coming back through Malaya I had a unique opportunity to see for myself, and part of the time with Mr Macdonald, the Minister of External Affairs and Defence, something of the manner in which the campaign against the Communist terrorists is being conducted. Mr Macdonald and I were also able to discuss in some detail with service chiefs and the United Kingdom

Commissioner-General (Mr Malcolm MacDonald), the problems of the defence of South-east Asia, which so vitally affect New Zealand. “We were both greatly heartened by what the United Kingdom is doing, and especially by the continuing buildup, in the defensive situation in Southeast Asia,” said Mr Holland. “I am sure the countries of the area now feel that they won’t become the next victims to open aggression, for the reason that the free nations have shown in a practical manner their determination to defend South-east Asia.

“The Commonwealth countries them, selves will, I feel, also gain much by pushing on with constructive plans, which will do more than anything else to demonstrate to our American allies our determination to help ourselves against the menace of Communist expansion in the south-west Pacific.”