OTTAWA AGREEMENT

Evening Star, Issue 22913, 22 March 1938, Page 7

OTTAWA AGREEMENT

1 1 w / AUSTRALIA'S RELATES MOVE NEW ZEALAND'S VIEWS WELL KNOWN. [Pbb United Peess Association.] WELLINGTON, March 22. “ It appears that Australia is just doing now what we did a year ago,” said Mr Savage, when referring in an interview to the report from Auckland that members of an Australian delegation to. discuss the revision of the Ottawa Agreement were through passengers for England in the Aorangi. Mr Savage reiterated his former statement that New Zealand had no knowledge of any impending conference to "discuss Imperial trade relations. The Prime Minister recalled that he and Mr Nash had had very full discussions on trade questions with members of the Board of Trade and British Government officials when they were in London last year. It was obvious, therefore, that the British authorities knew the views of the New Zealand Government on the questions involved. ' “ The New Zealand Government has certainly not been approached about any trade conference of representatives of the Empire Governments,” Mr Savage added, _ “ and what Australia will be doing will merely be a repetition of what the New Zealand Government did last year:. We have received no invitation to any conference such as has. been suggested in the cablegrams from Australia. Our views on the revision of the Ottawa Agreement and on the effect of New Zealand trade or any change that might be contemplated were discussed thoroughly when Mr Nash and I were in London. Therefore, it is not necessary for us to send any further delegation.”