DOMINIONS SECRETARY TO VISIT NEW ZEALAND

Evening Star, Issue 26137, 26 June 1947, Page 7

DOMINIONS SECRETARY TO VISIT NEW ZEALAND

(N.ZPA. Special ’Jorresporelent.) (Rec. 11.0 a.m.) LONDON, June 25. The Secretary of State for the < Dominions, Lord Addison, has accepted an invitation from Mr Peter Fraser to visit New Zealand with Lady Addison at the conclusion of the Canberra conference. The date of their arrival in the Dominion has not yet been decided, as it will depend upon the length of the discussions at Canberra, and the time occupied in the subsequent tour of some of the Australian chief cities. Lord Addison’s party will travel by flying boat, and expects to arrive in Canberra on August 26. " The agenda for the Canberra meeting has not yet been finalised,” said Lord Addison; “ but we know pretty well what we are going to talk about.” - He anticipated that there would bo full and frank exchange of views on all aspects of the Japanese peace treaty and upon Pacific problems generally. He did not think the conference would restrict itself to Japan, however, and expected that such subjects as the Australian and New Zealand mandates would also be reviewed. “ I think it is most desirable that we should have a conference of this type in other parts of the Empire," said Lord Addison. “We do not want everything always to be done in London. I see no reason whatever why conferences should not be held in other Commonwealth capitals, and I hope that we will develop the,habit of doing this. 1 do not think that there has been’sufficient interchange of visits in the past.” TITLE " DOMINION.” Lord Addison said he was uot in a position at present to say whether or not the title " dominion might be dropped, but he admitted that the

subject was under consideration. It was possible that the title of his own department would be changed, although he could not indicate what alternative title might be adopted. If any, or all, of the dominions decided to change their titles it would, of course, be a matter entirely for them to decide. He anticipated that when the present negotiations for conferring dominion status on Ceylon were completed later this year, Ceylon would become one of the responsibilities of his department. It seemed obvious in view of the changes in India that the title of Secretary of State for India would disappear, but it was too early yet to speculate upon what new arrangements would be made. NEW ZEALAND’S WAR SECRET. Asked why it was if there was full interchange of information between Britain and the dominions that Lord Montgomery did not know about the reported British secret weapon mentioned by Professor Leech in New Zealand, Lord Addison said he did not know about the weapon himself and he did not know what information might have been given Lord Montgomery. "We try to keep the dominions fully informed,” he said, ", and they do the same thing with us, but perhaps not as fully.”