IMPERIAL WAR CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 16777, 4 July 1918, Page 3

IMPERIAL WAR CONFERENCE

POST-WAR PROBLEMS. [Per Unitku PrtKSb Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, July 3. The Governor-General has received the following summary of the proceedings of the Imperial War Conference during the week ended June 29 from the Secretary o r State for the Colonies : The Imperial War Conference have been engaged, almost exclusively during the fourth, fifth, and sixth meetings, held on June 24, 26, and 28, in continuing the discussions on various phases of the postwar economic policy, begun last -week. The first subject on which a resolution was passed dealt with the recent Nonferrous Metal Industry Act of the United Kingdom and the question of similar legislation by the Overseas Dominions. 'This resolution was to the effect that, in pursuance of the policy of freeing the Empire from dependence on German-con-trolled organisations in respect to nonferrous metals and ores, the conference endorse the principle' of the Non-ferrous Metal Industry Act of the United Kingdom, and recommend the Governments of the Empire to adopt effective measures, in so far as these may be necessary and have not already been'taken, to carry out this policy. The next resolution related to the measures necessary to secure for the British Empire and the belligerent Allies the command of certain essential raw materials to enable them to repair the effects of the war as soon as possible a.nd safe- I guard their industrial requirements. The conference agreed that this course was necessary, and expressed the opinion that the Governments of the British Empire i should make such arrangements amongst I themselves as will ensure that the essential raw materials produced within the Empire shall be available for the purposes named, and should arrange with the allied countries to utilise for the same purposes the essential raw materials produced in those countries. A further resolution in connection with the same question recommended that a committee of members of the conference should consider the -possible methods of each part of the Empire obtaining command of the easenial raw materials referred to in the previous resolution, and that the Governments represented at the conference should, in the' light of the information collected by the representatives on this committee, consult, with the representatives of the producers and trades concerned a-s to the method of obtaining command best suited to each individual commodity.