UNIVERSITY WOMEN

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 163, 5 April 1933, Page 3

UNIVERSITY WOMEN

Address on Ottawa Conference

WELLINGTON ASSOCIATION

The Wellington Association of the Federation oi University■ Women held its monthly meeting on Monday, Miss A. N. Balham presiding. Dr. R. N. Campbell and Miss Norma Campbell were guests of ' the association. Several new members and a country member from Invercargill, Mrs. Mclnnes, were welcomed by the president. The secretary, Miss Jackson, asked members to notify her of changes of address. Mrs. Wallace and Miss L. Mitchell gave summaries of the activities of university women in Britain, in America, in Canada, and in France.

Dr. Campbell was the chief sjieaker, his subject being "Ottawa Conference and a Perplexed World.” Dr. Campbell reminded his listeners that it was almost a year since the conference which had been acclaimed a success. The conference, undoubtedly, met when the world was perplexed, and, to-day, a year later, the world was infinitely more perplexed. What excuse, then, could be offered for referring back to Ottawa? The reason could be that one or two of the principal problems of to-day were raised and discussed, if not solved, there. There ■ were, in general, said the speaker, two sets of problems under discussion; the first, requests from the Dominions for assistance in the marketing of products either by the .imposing of larger tariffs or by the placing of a limit on the imports from foreign countries, and, on the other side, Britain’s request that the Doininions should scale down tariff walls. The second set of difficulties involved problems of money and finance, price levels, and debts. Unless the price level were raised all countries would face bankruptcy.

In New Zealand in prosperous times, continued Dr. Campbell, half of the year’s wool exports might pay interest ou the overseas debt, but to-day the whole wool clip would not pay half the interest. How were prices to be raised? The people were thrown back on the suggestion that if prices were to be raised, exports must be regulated; and this in turn involved problems relating to controlled and planned production. After 1882, when refrigeration became an accomplished fact, New Zealand realised that England offered a bottomless market for her goods, but fifty years later, in 1932, she discovered that Britain was no longer capable of illimitable absorption, and that the British market had reached saturation point, or was about to reach it. That was the central problem of the conference and of the present time. The two devices tried were regulation of quantity and the imposition of tariffs. The regulation of volume had proved successful.

Since the war, said Dr. Campbell, production in all lines in all countries had increased enormously or could be increased. In spite of all the confusion of the time there was'possible a higher standard of living for all people and a possibility of shorter working hours. There were two distinct lines of thought in attempting to solve the problems. On the one hand, the restoration of prosperity under a capitalist system Involving price and money us determinant, and, on the other, the organising and regulating of production and distribution on a planned basts. No little confusion was caused by the failure to make clear in the people's own minds which method we preferred. Mrs. Wallace proposed a hearty vole of thanks to Dr. Campbell for his address, and the meeting closed with supper and informal conversation. During suppert-time a presentation was made to Mrs. Northe (nee Miss G. Cooke) on the occasion of her marirage.