“CONFERENCE WAS WORTH WHILE”

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 259, 29 July 1937, Page 12

“CONFERENCE WAS WORTH WHILE”

Same Objectives MR. SAVAGE SURVEYS DISCUSSIONS Cheers and the singing of “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” greeted Mr. Savage. “A person who would not be moved by the warm welcome that has been extended to me to-night would be hopeless, even from a matrimonial point of view,” said the Prime Minister. A voice: Never mind; cheer up. Mr. Savage: You suggested to me, Mr. Mayor, that I might make an announcement. Well, I am doing my bit. (Loud laughter.) Mr. Savage said it was pleasing to him to return from tlie Old Land and find that the King George Memorial campaign had been such an unqualified success. After all, there did appear at the beguiling to bo a risk about it, but, knowing something of the people, the Government, came to the conclusion that it was worth a trial, because there was no better way of expressing appreciation of a great King. The result showed that the decision was a correct one, and the Government owed deep thanks to the citizens for their wonderful response to the appeal. The success of the campaign satisfied him that tlie people of New Zealand would rise to heights as great as any other people on earth. Mr. Savage said his thanks were due to those who had carried on the work of the Government during his absence. Mr. Fraser and those who had been associated with him not only played a great part in the memorial campaign but they had played a great part in the political affairs of New Zealand during the last four months —perhaps a greater part than the rank and file of the citizens were in a position to know. He himself knew what the job was like, and he knew the success they had achieved in his absence. He congratulated all who had made possible the Centennial Exhibition. The centennial in itself was worth working for, to say nothing of the exhibition, which would give some evidence of what New Zealand could do. Praise for New Zealand Butter. “I have just come from the Old Land and have had the privilege of speaking to representatives of the chambers of commerce and other commercial organisations, and I was assured that in the case of the dairy industry for one, New Zealand butter had no superior on the British market,” said Mr. Savage. “That is something you don’t hear every (lay. I didn’t ask for it—it was fired at me during a function held in my honour in lhe city of Hull. The only thing that seemed to be wrong was that our products were not reaching the people who really wanted them. It is up to us to do something more than has been done in the past in getting our products directly to the people of Britain.” Mr. Savage said he was glad to hear the mayor say n word of praise about his colleague. Mr. Peter Fraser. He thought Mr. Hislop's words were well placed and well deserved. He had known Mr. Fraser for a good many years—longer than he eared to say—and he had never failed yet and was too old to fail now. 1 (Laughter.) Mr. Fraser had been too well tried out. “Mr. Fraser,” said the Prime Minister. “mentioned Mr. Nash and Mr. Armstrong. Now if there is one man representing New Zealand who put this Dominion on the map in tlie Old Country it was Walter Nash. (Applause.) Those who know Mr. Nash as I do know that he never knows when he has had enough. He was in Britain before T landed, aud I had not been there long before I found Jiat Mr. Nash had been almost everywhere Ho had been talking to everyone who was willing to listen. It was a question of business witli Nash, and 1 tell you frankly that ho has njade good. He will probably be here in a fortnight’s time and will lie able to go into

greater detail as to the results of his representations, not only in Britain itself but in some of the Continental countries, as well as in America. Another Language. "I met Mr. Armstrong before ho went to Geneva. He arrived in Britain just in time fur the Coronation. Several times I heard his voice over the- telephone from Geneva I am satisfied, too, t hat Tim Armstrong lias made good. We have been told tonight Hint be listened to 19 languages on one committee. Well, perhaps Tim was capable of introducing one more. (Lood laughter.) 1 think he did, too.” Describing his own experiences, the Prime Minister said that if one lived to be a 1000 he could not expect to see a more wonderful pageant than the Coronation. Ho remembered attending a function at Buckingham Palace and speaking to the Lord Chief Justice, who wanted to know what part impressed him most. "1 replied: ‘My Lord, the part that is outside this building, on the streets,” said Mr. Savage. Tlie spectacle of the Coronation would live in his memory, it was a great sight to see millions of people lining the route and cheering as the procession went by in all its splendour. The discipline was wonderful. The police were Hie last word in control. Ho never saw one who looked like getting excited. Things simply went their way quite calmly and, ho repeated, it was the privilege of a lifetime to see the great organisation presided over by the Duke of Norfolk, a comparatively young man who never lost sight of a single detail. The result of it all was that things worked out jusr like a piece of clockwork, and one felt proud to be part and parcel of that great ceremony. It was a privilege to be able to look at it, n privilege incidentally that cost some people a lot of money.

“Coining to the Imperial Conference itself,” said Mr. Savage, "well —perhaps it was as well that we had more, than one language there, too. Wo didn’t agree upon everything —far from it; but the objective was about the same right along the line, and if Britain were in difficulties tomorrow I don’t think there would be much division. I think about the same thing would happen as happened last time. That doesn’t relievo people in high positions from the responsibility they have.

“I went to tlie Imperial Conference, with my colleague, with an idea in my mind that we had to put the economic foundation right before we could build a superstructure of peace. I found great difficulty in getting people to see that, although it looked simple enough to me. I don’t blame people for differing; it would be a dull world if we all thought alike. 1 Still, when one comes to analyse the whole situation he is bound to come to the conclusion that unless we put the economic foundation on a proper basis it is useless to talk about peace. Well, I came from that conference convinced in my own mind that New Zealand is not running second to any nation on earth in putting the economic foundation right. “We who represented New Zealand at the conference thought that if we lifted the standard of life of the people —I mean the people of the world —we would largely remove the cause of war, because we would be using the surplus that we were trying to thrust upon others. When the nations begin to realise that, we will be closer to peace than we are to-day. “The Imperial Conference ultimately did agree that it was a good thing to lift the standard of life, but thej' didn’t seem inclined to agree that it was the low standard of life that was largely the cause of war. I suppose one can’t blame them. “Wo had some pretty plain speaking, let me put it that way. In fact some of the old-timers thought that this conference was worth while because there was more plain speaking than at any other they, had attended. (Laughter). “When you. speak plainly, and in simple language, most people understand you, whether they agree with you or not, and that just happened at this conference,” said Mr. Savage. I found myself talking, for instance, at the Imperial Settlement League, presided over by Lord Hartington. They think we should take more people in New Zealand, but we have to prepare the way, and I told them it was no use talking about bringing more people from Great Britain until wo could convince Britain that she could take more of the goods they were going to produce. “I found myself saying to them that New Zealand was largely a country of primary production. What was the use of talking about producing more if our kinsmen overseas were going to take less? Before we could talk about producing more we had to be satisfied that the market was going to be greater, mid I couldn’t see how Britain was going to expand her market unless she expanded the people’s wages. It is very difficult, I say, to make people who don’t want to see, see that simple fact, that we can’t expand the market unless the people are able to buy. That is the foundation. “Bunkum From End to End.’’ “Then we discussed foreign affairs,” Mr. Savage continued. “I remember seeing a report dealing with the economic aspect of foreign policy. I was asked for my opinion, aud I said, ‘Well, to put it plainly, this thing is bunkum from end to end.’ Those who were reporting the conference wanted to know what I meant by ‘bunkum.’ (Laughter.) I though any member of Parliament would be able to tell them that. I didn’t see any more of that report. Nevertheless the conference was worth while, as it provided an opportunity of bringing the problems of the Dominions aud other countries before tlie delegates. “It is not sufficient to go over there for a holiday aud say you did a lot of things that never happened,” said Mr. Savage amid laughter. “It’s a better tiling to go over there and just speak as plainly as you can and, above all things, to be understood. And I think we understood each other before the end of the conference. I dou’t regret having gone to the Imperial Conference and the Coronation. I think it put New Zealand on the map; not because I happened to bo the delegate or Mr. Nash, but simply because I think it was the most important Imperial Conference that has ever been held, in view of the peculiar situation that exists in the world to-day. You can’t look at foreign policy to-day without realising what a mess the world is in. When one comes to get down to tlie reports bearing upon the various aspects of the foreign policy of Great Britain, it opens one’s eyes to see tlie contradictions that are evolved in the arrangements entered into in days gone by. Foreign Policy Discussion. “During the conference I found myself saying things about the foreign policy of the past. I wasn’t condemning anyone for it, because after all New Zealand had agreed through her representatives to the foreign policy that had been put into operation. I am bound to say that it was not an unqualified success, not by any stretch of the imagination. Well, there were some serious faces at that conference when we were discussing Britain’s for-'

eign policy. No doubt we will have a discussion in our Parliament about this thing in the next three or four weeks, when the whole situation will be threshed out. We will have a report on the conference from end to end and the representatives of the people will have an opportunity of knowing exactly what the position it.” Mr. Savage said that though ho did not imply the delegates were lacking in knowledge or sincerity, he was astonished at some of the ideas brought to the conference. There had been a proposal, for instance, for an agreement between Great Britain and America. No decision had been made up to now. New Zealand was iust as anxious as anyone to enter into agreements witli America or any other nation, but she wanted to begin with Britain, and after that to carry her activities to other nations. His Job Here. New Zealand’s problems had to be solved here. The foundation must be laid in New Zealand. That was not a new idea. The people had heard it many times, lie had come back from the Imperial Conference more satisfied than ever that his job was here. “We can’t begin to help Britain or ourselves unless the foundation is well and truly laid in New Zealand,” said Mr. Savage. “The old policy still stands. Wo have got to lift the people; and unless we do that we won’t lift anybody else outside of New Zealand.” Mr. Savage said he and Mr. Mackenzie King, Canada had crossed swords on a few occasions. They did not have boxing gloves or . nything like that. They disagreed about many things, but parted the best of friends. He looked upon Mr. Mackenzie King as one of the best friends he had in the world. Perhaps that might surprise some of the New Zealand newspapers, but it was a fact. The South African representatives, presided over by General Hertzog, left very little to be desired. General Hertzog was one of the most lovable men he had ever met, a splendid personality and a great character. As one listened to the representatives of the different countries one gained an insight into their problems, and to expect the delegates not to express differences would be asking too much. Among the questions he had discussed was that of reciprocity of pensions. The Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, had undertaken to supply him with an outline of the machinery dealing with migration and also to obtain the opinion of the Pensions Department in the Old Country about reciprocity. There were difficulties, but they were not insurmountable. Au idea put forward ‘by himself and his colleagues at the Imperial Conference was that a world conference on foreign policy would be worth while if only to get an understanding of the economic difficulties. Some of the delegates were a bit dubious and feared failure. The New Zealand delegates, however, believed that if they could get representatives of all the nations assembled around the table they would at least be able to And out what they wanted, and then set themselves the task of putting things right. If they could only get those people to realise it was not only a question of expansion of territory something would be achieved. If the expansion of territories was the only thing to be considered Britain would have no problems at all. Empty territories were a danger to the peace of the world. Those were only simple things that one would expect people in high places to face up to. “I am bound to say that we didn’t get as far as one would like,” said Mr. Savage, “ami although I am a little bit downhearted, I have no doubt about what would happen if we got into a. tight corner. What we saw at Spithead and at other places was an eye-opener.” “Our responsibilities have not grown any less. It seems to me they are growing.larger as the days go by. During the next four weeks I hope to be able to lay before Parliament what is expected of us. Perhaps during the next day or two some of the New Zealand newspapers might be good enough to give m<> their ear. Shall I put it that way? lam willing to discuss with them any aspect. There are certain things of course that are necessarily secret and can’t be blown around anywhere. But at the same time I think I will satisfy them that our mission has not been in vain.” Mr. Savage paid a tribute to the courtesy and hospitality extended to the delegation by the British Government, and added: “All they wanted was that we should put ourselves on our honour to safeguard their interests. And wc are going to do that. I have waited for weeks for July 28. The longer I remained away the more satisfied I was that the real job was here. I don’t mean by that that we shouldn’t take heed of other parts of the Commonwealth. I do mean that we must not allow the grass to grow under our feet in New Zealand. We have to keep moving. We have to keep the machinery moving. I know there are people who think we should staud still for the next three or four years. We can’t stand still. Unless we are moving all the time the people will be justified in moving us. “While I never expect to satisfy everyone tlie old pledge that I made still stands. The people will never suffer at our hands. I remember quite well the things I have said to the people. I will never let them down. I repeat that to-night.” At the conclusion of Mr. Savage's speech the Mayor called for three cheers for the Prime Minister. There was an enthusiastic response, and the large audience joined in the singing of "For he’s a jolly good fellow.”