NO HAGGLING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1932, Page 13

NO HAGGLING

SACRIFICES ON, ALU SIDES

MR.1 THOMAS'S HOPE

(From "The Port's" Representative.) I LONDON, 17th, December. Before the House of Commons adjourned Mr. J. H. Thomas (Secretary" for tho Dominions) made a- statement regarding tho forthcoming Imperial Conference.

He said that the Government attached great importance to the Conference to be heldat Ottawa,' The failure of the Conference must not only not be contemplated, but in the very nature of things .would, be absolutely disastrous. ' For that reason it must be clearly understood that all the detailed preparation'that would ensure its being a success must be, undertaken by the Government in advance.

There were no two Dominions -whose interests were tlio same. Canada and Australia would very rightly say, "We are interested mainly in wheat." It was no good to go to South Africa or New Zealand or the.lrish Free State and say, ','Wo have agreed on a wheat policy," becauso they would immediately say to us, "What about our particular interest?" Equally, while we were dealing with that, it must be kept inniind that in the main tho great contribution, we could make to their success was in the direction of , helping them with their foodstuffs, and that was essentially the main thing so far as they wero concerned. But, from our point of view, tho most important, and, indeed, the only, factor was what they would do in regard to our manufactured articles. In that connection we must also not lose sight <j£ the fact that we wcro v likely—and wo must face it right away—to strike this situation, that in their independent action and in their freedom they were gradually building up industries, secondary jto them, but which competed with us. He did not complain, but he could not blind himself to tho,fact that they said, "Our policy must be Canada first, or Australia first, and you second."' Ho had to keep equally in mind what was the interest of this conntry. These very problems, difficult as they were and conflicting often one with another, were secondary in his judgment to the over-riding importance of keeping in mind British sentiments, the desire to foster and cement, tao Empire, the recognition of, all the advantages of British citizenship. All these* things should compel them to go to the forthcoming Conference not in a haggling, niggling • gpirit r -(cheers) T -but with the single-minded desire to' see that the over-riding factor above everything else was a .real,lmperial,,unity .that must be to'tho advantage'of them all. (Cheers.) If that, was the spirit irf which they intended to approach.-the problem, success would result^, -/".'''. .; '. . HAMMEEINO OUT DETAILS. ' 'In,.'that connection he would remind the' House of tho spirit in which' the Government were tackling the problem. In tße first.wdek/of the new Parliament they set up' a Ministerial Committee' of' which1 he hadJ the' honour to bo chairman. •■ They had met every week hammering out ; eyery:detail, of ■■the problem from'the 'Ministerial point of view. They had'had working with that Committee, daily .and hourly, an inter-Departmental Committee hammor-' ing .put all the details necessary for a f air_ examination^ 'of the problem. In addition he had invited every Dominion either to select or send to this country competent practical 'representatives who could sit down, with all the material at the Government's disposal in this country, and hammer out, from their own particular point of view, all the details that were' necessary for a fair examination. Over and above that ie had given theni the p2erof the*

sendees of our'own Trade' Commissioner in every' Dominion so that they could, on the spot, quickly hammer out the details. . : ■■-.■■,■'<■ FREE AND UNFETTERED DISCUSSION. That, he submitted, was the best eVidence of the Government's anxiety that no detailed examination1 ' should be lucking to ensure success. What was tho gesture they had made? . The Chancellor of,tho Exchequer announced, ou behalf of the Government a few days ago, that no commitmeEt of any sort would be made which hampered or prejudiced the free and unfettered discussion at Ottawa when it took place. All the anti-dumping legislation passed by tho House had on© great-reception. It was that it: did not apply to our Dominions and that it did, not differentiate between one Dominion and anoHler. We had : not said whethor the Dominions should'be on gold or off gold. They took tho,broad general,view and said that that was applicable to all. He wished to tell the Dominions clearly and definitely, having regard: to what they did and what they might have been compelled to do, that, they must not be unmindful of the magnificent gesture which we made to them.

,Tho Government' were determined to make a great, success.of ,the Conference, but all tho.'sacrifices must not.be on one side. We might be called upon to give up ideas and ideals and fiscal views, but let them ,do so clearly, realising the advantages. The Dominions should not' forget the .great sacrifices that we. could be called upon to make. If we entered the Conference in that; spirit, with a single-minded desire, not to see what; we could get out of it, but ;what wo. could give, who would deny that, with Europe in turmoil and difficulties all over the world, the Government' were' working for the advan: tage of the Empire as a whole. "'