Greymouth Evening Star. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1945. NEW MINISTERS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 November 1945, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1945. NEW MINISTERS.

T*HE arrival of. Ministers in New Zealand to represent Russia and France is a proof that the Dominion is acquiring recognition in the diplomatic world, but just what the practical value of this promotion will be, remains to be seen. Meanwhile, cordial personal greetings will be extended to Mr. Ziabkin and Monsieur Gazel, their families and staffs, and it is to be hoped that their stay in this country will be pleasant. The Ministers’ tasks should not be really arduous, and there are few. countries having such congenial conditions of living as Ncav Zealand may justly claim. The arrival of a Russian Minister here was overdue, seeing how long New Zealand’s representative has been in Moscow, and it began to look as if Russia was not really interested in exchange of Ministers between New Zealand and the U.S.S.R. France has taken the initiative in this direction, and awaits the Dominion’s reciprocity.

Anxieties long felt throughout New Zealand regarding Mr. Boswell’s welfare will be partially allayed by Mr. Ziabkin s assurance that he had actually met him and found him charming. True, that statement, is not. very informative, but further revelations may be forthcoming when Air. Ziabkin has had time to settle down. In any case, progress reports about Mr. Boswell should be easier to obtain in future, and that will be some relief. Air. Ziabkin’s statement that “New Zealand is not very well known” in Russia; suggests that Mr. Boswell has fallen down on his job, and is also a blow to those in this country frequently claiming that it leads the. world in so many ways. AVhat effect will the presence of a Russian Afinister have on the Communists in New Zealand? There are not many of them but they are noisy. Will they be disciplined by the new Russian legal ion, or will their existence be not recognised? At any rate, they have lost the self-assumed privilege of speaking for Russia.

Monsieur Gazel will not And many pioblems awaiting solution in French-New Zealand relations, the one probably worrying the Labour Government most being who- is to be appointed the Dominion s representative in Paris. This should be an enviable post, the duties being light, and the surroundings most enjoyable. Il the chief qualification for appointment is defeat at the polls, there will be a surplus of Labourites available affier the '(n.cxt general elections, but then, of course, the power of appointment will, have passed to the successful Nationalists. Meanwhile, there will be' prospects of development in French-New Zealand commerce. The next Minister due to arrive is the U.S.A, representative, Mr. A. M. Warren of Maryland, who is to succeed Mr. K. Patton, and who is announced as an expert on LatinAmerican affairs. Why this should be a qualification for his new post, is not dealNot that it matters, because, so far, no U.S.A. Minister has stayed long enough in New Zealand to get really acquainted.