THE NEW EMPIRE

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 68, 14 December 1931, Page 11

THE NEW EMPIRE

Mr. Bennett’s High Hopes ECONOMIC UNION Coming Imperial Conference * i PROBLEM FOR DELEGATES By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. (Rec. December 13, 5.5 p.m.). Halifax (Nova Scotia), December 12. “The day of a centralised Empire is past. We no longer live in a political Empire. We must now see to it that our ability and resources are thrown into the enterprise of building and strengthening an econoinic union,” said the Primo Minister of Canada, Mr. R. B. Bennett, on arrival here to-day from Britain. Mr. Bennett declared that the Mother Country was meeting her problems with high courage and confidence, and the coming economic conference at Ottawa would probably be the most important event of its kind ever held within the Commonwealth. The statement of Mr. J. H. Thomas, in which he told the House of Ccmmons that Britain was committed to the idea of a wheat quota, was dis-

tinctly gratifying, Mr. Bennett said: “It marks the adoption of reciprocal trade agreements within the Empire. The people of Britain are looking forward with great interest to the Imperial Conference. The date cannot be fixed, of course, until after the Australian elections. “With the adoption of the Statute of Westminster the old political Empire disappears,” Mr. Bennett added. “Everywhere I went in the Old Land I found people looking forward to the conference in the belief that we will lay at Ottawa the foundations of a new economic Empire. THE ONLY’. FACTOR Mr J. H. Thomas’ Statement FAILURE UNTHINKABLE’ Official Wireless. Rugby, December 11. Referring to the debate on the adjournment in the House of Commons, the Dominions Minister, Mr. J. H. Thomas, made a statement regarding the Imperial Economic Conference at Ottawa, to which he said the Government attached great importance. Failure must not be contemplated. It would be disastrous. Therefore a detailed and careful preparation- must be made in advance. The interests of no two Dominions were the same. The main contribution which the undertaking could make was help to the Dominions regarding foodstuffs, while the most important— Indeed the only—factor as far as Britain was concerned was what the Dominions could do with regard to manufactured articles from Britain. Difficult as the problems were, Mr. Thomas said fie believed that with a single-minded desire to advance Imperial unity success would result. A Cabinet sub-committee, with the aid of experts, was engaged on hammering out the details.

Referring to the statements made on behalf of the Government which would have free discussion at Ottawa, and the fact that the Dominions were exempted from recent legislation, Mr. Thomas said that these were great contributions, evidencing the anxiety of the Government to ensure the success of the conference.

With regard to the wheat quota he announced that the Government had decided, subject to satisfactory arrangements being made and subject to a genuine quid pro quo, to make an offer to the Dominions at Ottawa None who were at the Imperial Conference would minimise the value of

that to the Dominions. The price and other details would be hammered out with them and with the millers at Home. The sacrifices could not all be on one side. They might be called upon to give up ideals and fiscal views long held. Let that be remembered and let all parties enter the conference not in the spirit of seeing what they could get out of it. but what they could give. WILLING TO CO-OPERATE Millers Interview Mr. Thomas London, December 11. A deputation of the National Federation of the Corn Trade Associations, representing the corn milling trades, told Mr. Thomas that, though they were opposed to the quota on principle, his explanation had considerably alleviated their apprehensions. They were willing to co-operate in working the quota if as the result of the Ottawa Conference it was instituted. ARGENTINA’S PLACE View of British Wheat Trader Buenos Aires, December 11. “Only a direct Empire wheat preference and quota can upset the Argentine’s place in the British wheat market, if Russia is eliminated as an exporter,” said Mr. 11. R. Lawrence, a British cereal trader, on his arrival on Friday. He said that British millers required Argentine or Russian wheat for 50 per cent, of their flour content. The mills were able to use 20 per cent, of Canadian wheat and a similar percentage of Australian, he added.