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Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 104, 30 October 1933, Page 8

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CONFERENCE DELEGATES

HON. W. D. STEWART'S IMPRESSIONS

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, October 2». pu his way back from two unofficial conferences in Canada, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart arrived from _ Vancouver by the Aorangi, accompanied by his sister, Miss Stewart, and Mr. Walter Nash, M.P., and Mr. H. P. yon Haast, fellow-delegates to the Conference of the Institute of Pacific Relations at Banff, Alberta. Mr. Stewart said that the Banff Conference and that of the Eoyal Institute of International Affairs, held at Toronto, were extremely interesting, but ho would not comment on the discussions. ; "Canadian problems are strikingly like those of New Zealand, only on a larger scale," Mr. Stewart said. Referring to the proposed Central Bank in Canada, he said that all the western provinces were strongly in favour of a Central Bank, but there was a marked difference of opinion in some of the eastern provinces. It was generally believed that the McMillan Commission would recommend the establishment of some form of Central Bank, although most of. the commercial banks wero using every argument against the necessity for such a bank in Canada. The general financial position of Canada reflected the present depression, and the last three years had shown largo and growing budgetary deficits in spite of enormous increases in income tax, sales tax, and other sources of revenue. However, recent speeches by Cabinet Ministers were couched in hopeful terms, and Mr. li. B. Bennett, the Prime Minister, and others had expressed tho opinion that the worst of the depression was over. Mr. Stewart said that strong pressure was being brought to bear on the Government by the Labour Pnrtv to introduce the N.R.A. system into Canada, and the demand was growing steadily more insistent when ho left. Air. Bennett, however, emphatically stilted that the system would not work successfully in Caumla.

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