DOMINION'S PART

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 58, 10 March 1937, Page 12

DOMINION'S PART

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

"A GREAT OPPORTUNITY"

MR. SAVAGE'S HOPES

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, March 9,

The extent to which favourable conditions may influence the results of the Imperial Conference this year was acknowledged by the Prime Minister (the Rt. SHon. M. J. Savage), in addressing the Auckland Chamber of Commerce I today. : "It only comes about once or, twice lin a man's lifetime to be able to represent his country at an Imperial Con- j ference," said Mr. Savage in reply w j the wishes expressed by the president] of the chamber, Mr. W. K. Fee, for a | successful mission to Great Britain. | "This will.be my first opportunity, and I can assure you I am not going to play last and loose with the word and honour of New Zealand. !

"I freely admit that at the coming conference we have a better chance of gaining our objectives than any other Government ever ha£. This is due to the altered conditions. We are living in a world which at last seems ready for a resumption of international trade, and as a result there is a-great opportunity for the British Commonwealth of Nations to put its own house in order and advance definite and common-sense proposals to the outside world. Until we correct the position of the trade and economic foundation of things we will never be able to improve the superstructure of international relations.

j "I am hopeful the Imperial Conference will be able to make a gesture which will silence the war talk which is going on in Europe today. Uncertainty as to the future, is a cause of disturbances, and it must be remembered that never yet have we had stability to any appreciable extent. There are endless possibilities of production, but we will always have periods of depression as long as. the people get only £50 for every £100 worth of production. When-the people enjoy the fruits of their own production there will be no foundation for war." MIGRATION POLICY. Mr. Savage said he also hoped that the conference would bring about a forward move in the development of the Empire. Migration was a muchdiscussed topic at the moment, and it appeared to him that the best way of approaching this problem was provided jin the argument that the best investjment of British capital was >in the British Commonwealth of Nations. If British capital was invested in the Argentine or in some other foreign country British migration would follow it there. The first essential to migration policy was a firm financial foundation, and that was* something which he intended to put before the Imperial Conference as part of New Zealand's contribution to the discussions. Only the investment of capital would enable future development to support the additional population resulting from an active migration scheme. This question has been somewhat clouded in the past.

"Dividends have been regarded as more important than national welfare, and we must rise to greater heights than that," said Mr. Savage; "In this I am not suggesting the British Commonwealth should occupy an insular position. We can give a lead in the conduct of our own affairs, but we must be"prepared to extend our relations to the outside world.

"While I am in England I hope to do my best for New Zealand. I simply want to see New Zealand and its people flourish. If I can live to see that I shall be satisfied."