Macmillan’s Tour Begins

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28479, 8 January 1958, Page 9

Macmillan’s Tour Begins

(Rec. 10.45 p.m.) LONDON, January 7

The Prime Minister (Mr Macmillan) leaves today on a six weeks’ Commonwealth tour in the midst of a major British political crisis.

Mr Macmillan will travel 30,000 miles, and visit India, Pakistan. Ceylon. New Zealand and Australia on his tour. He is the first British Prime Minister in office to visit these five Commonwealth nations. On his outward and home journey* he will also stop at the British Crown colony of Singapore. Mr Macmillan is making his tour in a giant Bristol Britannia turboprop airliner. On the journey to India the aircraft will make refuelling stops at Nicosia, the capital oi Britain’s troubled Mediterranean island colony of Cyprus, and Bahrein, in the Persian Gulf. Officials said the Nicosia stop was purely for refuelling purposes and would be only for about one hour.

The Prime Minister’s longest stays will be in New Zealandeight nights—and Australia—l 4 nights. In Wellington he will have his first meeting with New Zealand’s new Labour Prime Minister (Mr Nash).

Talks in Australia and New Zealand will bear particularly on their intimate ties with Britain in the fields of defence, trade and foreign affairs.