THE POST-WAR ERA

Evening Star, Issue 25171, 10 May 1944, Page 3

THE POST-WAR ERA

DISCUSSIONS ON RECONSTRUCTION

(Official News Service.) ' LONDON,.May 8. The second' busy week of the Commonwealth conference sessions and private consultations was begun to-day by the Prime Ministers. There is littlo likelihood that the pressure of work will be any less heavy than it was last week, when Mr Fraser took part in all the nine sessions in the course of fin; days. Since nearly every meeting lasted more than two hours there wen> over 20 hours of intensive discussion. At the first conference to-day the subject of economic development was approached by the Commonwealth Prime Ministers'. The talks have so moved from the fields of European and Pacific war strategy and the past conduct of foreign affairs intp one of the most important phases of post-war reconstruction and planning for world peace and world prosperity. The general subject of world reconstruction is an extremely wide one—it covers such highly important matters as the development of an international organisation for collective security, an international monetary system,, migration, communications, and Empire trade. It should be emphasised that the purpose of the conference is not that Britain and the dominions should arrive at immediate hard and fast decisions on these or any other matters, but that they should rather test one another's feelings and make a frank exchange of views. Although a broad general agreement is likely to be reached on several subjects—as is already the case in regard to v global war strategy—any action to be taken on the basis of such agreement is a matter for the individual Cabinets and Parliaments of the nations of the Commonwealth.