POLICY POINTS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 97, 20 January 1944, Page 6

POLICY POINTS

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—<<>pyngbt.) (Special Australian Correspondent.) (Received January 19, 11-30 p.m.) CANBERRA, January 19. Complete agreement on all important matters has been reached at the Austral-ian-New Zealand Ministerial conference The gathering will end with the drawing up and signing of a formal agreement between the two Dominions at a public -session on Friday. The main decision of the conference at its final business session today was that Autralia and New Zealand will support the establishment of an international aviation authority to have post-war control of international air roptes. All countries, however, must have the right to control the internal air services within their own territories. Other announced achievements of the earlier sessions of the conference were. — (1) An agreement that the two Governments will act together in such matters as control of territories, native welfare and communications. (2) An agreement to establish a South Seas Regional Commission with advisory powers, with Great Britain, the United States and France as the other probable members. „ . (3) An exchange of assurances that both countries will acquaint each other of their views on matters of common interest before expressing their views elsewhere, in order that tlieir. views may be presented to the world with as much unity as possible. . (4) A clear understanding by botn countries of each other's ideas on P° s t" war strategical needs in the southern Pacific. . . The conference decision on civil aviation was released in a joint official statement by Mr. Fraser and Dr. Evatt, which said: “It was agreed that civil aviation should be subject to the general principle of international collaboration, and that air transport services should be included. within the terms of a convention which would supersede the existing international convention on aenai navigation—with the powers revised and extended not only to regulate such matters as safe flying and navigation but also to control all international air trunk lines. “The two Governments agreed to support the principle that the ownership, operation and control of international routes should be vested in an international air authority. , i Rights of Countries.

“Their support' of this principle was subject to the understanding that (1.) international trunk routes should be specified as part of any international. agreement for air transport; '(2) the right of each country to conduct all services within its own territorial jurisdiction (including services to and from its own continguous territories) would be recognized subject to the agreed international requirements regarding safety and the commitments of the proposed international air authority as regards facilities for landing and transit rights for international services, exchange of mails, etc. “The two Governments would also require that due proportion of. Australian and New Zealand personnel, agencies, and materials and the general resources of the two countries should be used ,in the operation and management of international trunk routes.” * It is understood that New Zealand s and Australia’s .separate submissions to. the conference on post-war aviation control, which is regarded as a subject of vital concern for the future world peace, ran on exactly the same lines. . The scheme finally accepted for joint advocacy would, it is explained, permit Australia and New Zealand, in common with all other countries, to operate not only the internal mainland air services but also air services to the island territories under their direct control. Thus, Australia would be free to operate senvices to Papua, while New Zealand could establish its own direct air link, with Samoa. Services between Australia and New Zealand, however, would come under the international authority. New Zealand’s and Australia’s joint views on post-war aviation are now expected to be forwarded to the British Government as a preliminary to their Empire discussion probably by the forthcoming Prime Minister’s conference. It is hoped that Imperial agreement may be a first step toward preliminary international talks.