BRITISH PRIME MINISTER

Evening Star, Issue 20311, 21 October 1929, Page 9

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER

THE CANADIAN VISIT A QUIET DAY OR TWO Press Association—By Telegraph -Copyright OTTAWA, October 19. From now until Sunday, when he will take the train for Montreal, Mr Ramsay MacDonald has no official engagements. Lunch with the British High Commissioner (Sir William Clark) and a private dinner with the Prime Minister (Mr Mackenzie King) were his only engagements on Saturday. Miss Ishbel attended both functions, and a tea in the Women’s Canadian Club. On Monday Mr MacDonald will speak at Montreal.—Australian Press Association. “ GOVERNMENTS OF THE DOMINIONS ” LONDON, October 19. . The special correspondent of the ‘Daily Express,’ cabling from Ottawa, discloses that one of the subjects discussed by Mr MacDonald and Mr Mackenzie King at Ottawa involved important changes in the wording of the King’s speeches where the dominions are referred to. The phrase, “ Our dominions,” will no longer be used, and will be replaced by the “ Governments of the dominions ” when British Ministers are negotiating with foreign countries on questions in which the dominions are concerned. They will use the phrase, “ His Majesty’s Government and the Governments of the dominions.”—Australian Press Association. A STATEMENT DENTED. LONDON, October 19. A member of Mr MacDonald’s si a ft, in referring to the transatlantic conversation in the ‘ Evening Standard,’ denied the reported statement that the Fume Minister had made a statem -no in Canada to the effect that he was likely to retire. It was untrue to say tha :■ he even contemplated mch an act, and at present he was perfectly fit.—Australian Press Association. THE JANUARY CONFERENCE. MR MACDONALD’S DESIRE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 19. (Received October 21, at 11.30 a.in.) The reports that Mr MacDonald’s health has been impaired hy the strain of his tour are completely unfounded, although the programme has resulted in normal strain. The worst part is past, and tho crisp Canadian air is having a refreshing effect upon him. He will return to England at the e.nd of the present month or in the first days of November, anti is look ng forward to meeting tho House of Commons soon after it reassembles. When he returns he will also begin conversations upon next January’s naval conference with France, Italy, and Japan. As he stated in his speech at a dinner in Ottawa, he desires these to bo conducted “ in tho same frank, free, and open way that has characterised the Anglo-American conversations.” The announcement that France and Italy are to try to secure a preliminary understanding between themsclvs is warmly welcomed by Mr MacDonald, who believes that guch understanding would help immensely towards the success of tho January conference. In Press interviews Mr MacDonald has again emphasised that in his conversations with Mr Hoover nothing in regard to naval questions took place which was binding upon either Britain or the United States. Whatever is binding, will bo decided at the FivePower Conference in London next January. All he claims to have accomplished is to have helped create an atmosphere of goodwill, and to have found Mr Hoover in complete agreement htat there shall be no AngloApierican naval rivalry.