EMPIRE TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 103, 3 May 1932, Page 12

EMPIRE TRADE

OTTAWA CONFERENCE

PROPOSED SECRETARIAT

The president of tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce (Mr. J. Pearce Luke) proposed at a meeting of that body last evening that support be given to a suggestion made by the Auckland Chamber that, following tho deliberations of the Ottawa Coufcrcnee, a secretariat be set up to assist dn giving, effect to the agreements arrived at. _ Several inenibors-expressed' the. opinion that such a resolution- would be premature.' •' The Conference would no doubt consider such a proposal and would itself determine whether, it would be desirable to appoint a.secretariat. ' ' . '■' It was resolved to ask the Government to let the Chamber know, as far as possible, the main subjects included in the agenda-paper of the Ottawa Conference. ' •' ' ■ - Mr. Luke said that during the past few days British statesmen had made striking references to the .-■ great • possibilities of the Ottawa Conference, and it had been suggested that it would probably be necessary to set up machinery to carry the resolutions adopted into ,effect, and to keep : the different parts of the Empire in touch with one another. .'.-,- .- ~ ■ . Mr. T: L. Ward said tho recommendation of the setting up of a secretariat ■might be premature; in any case,' it such machinery were desirable, the delegates would r,o doubt recommend

Mr Q. J. B. Norwood thought the timo 'was hardly ripe for such action as that recommended- by the •■ Auckland Chamber.. The problems to l>e. .faced by the Conference were very difficult ones. ' ' .. ■.'■.'■ The motion with respect to the .set-, ting up of a secretariat was withdrawn.