A QUIET OPENING

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11327, 3 October 1930, Page 5

A QUIET OPENING

IMPERIAL CUN KEK KM K BEGINS. THE ROYAL .MESSAGE. EOOXOAiIC ULMAiIYTEK OK EXPERTS TO LL APPOINT ED. (U.P.A. bv Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON. Oct. l. Shorn ot llie glamour of a ceremonial opening, the Imperial Conter-c-nee assembled at 10 o’clock at [lie Locarno Room of the Foreign Office almost unnoticed as far a, the public ivas concerned, and ior six weeks the only; link with tlie public will be formal daily press communiques, and. perhaps, an occasional talk hy Air. ,1. H. Thomas, if the coniereneo today agrees to his proposal that lie should he the Press liaison oltieer. Each delegation arrived in a .State limousine provided hy tile British Government, each hearing a silken badge ot its country. Taik.es and cameras buzzed, and the delegations then went to the Locarno Rooms, where the tables are arranged m a hollow square. .Mr. .MacDonald has .Mr. J. H. Sculliii on his right anil the lion. G. M . Forbes on Ins lelt. .Mr. .MacDonald made the opening speech, followed hy .Mr. !i. Jb Bennett, Mr. SeuHin, .Mr. Forbes. General llertzog and others.

The proceedings ol the coniereneo opened with Mr. Bennett proposing, and Mr. Seiillin seconding, that .\lr. MacDonald should bo chairman. Air. .MacDonald moved, anil General llertzog. as the only Prime .Minister present in 122<>, seconded the conference's first official act. a desire to present its respectful duty to His .Majesty, joining m thankfulness lor H.is .Majesty's restoration to health, and an earliest hope that Their Majesties would be spared for many years'to inspiro the feelings o! jove and afreet ion which unde all ■Britishers under the frown. His Majesty's reply was read to the conference. It sincerely thanked the conference on beha'll of hunseli and the Queen. "1 am especially touched with the kind allusions to niv restoration to health. ’’ he added. “Realising that all-important questions "'ill be considered. 1 shall tol|ow with close attention the progress of the deliberations." The eoiifernecc paid tribute to tha memory ol Lord Bn Hour. .Mr. O Higgins. Sir Joseph AYnrd. Sir Neville flowse, and Lord Birkenhead. It agreed to establish a general economic committee ot experts, to which the more detailed technical economic subjects w-ll lie re!erred. The conference met lor ihe first time'in Hu* afternoon to arrange proredure. and agreed to the special arrangements made lor the representation of Southern Rhodesia to place before delegates questions directing Southern Rhodesia.

THE SPEECHES. KRKI'T/DI NOT INfONSISTKNT MTi'H IN ITY. BRITISH .PREMIER OUTLINES AVOItK AH FAD. U.P.A. bv Elec. Tel. Cow. rig lit.), LONDON. Oct. I. The speeches which tollnwed .Mr. Mao Donald’s emphasised Iris suggestion that the problems before the conference, however diliicull, should bo solved in aeeordanee with the free association characterised by tne unity of the British commonwealth. The spokesman, summarising the .speeches,. said they stressed that complete freedom was m no wise inconsistent with complete unity. Economically each unit would have regard lor its own special circumstances, while aiming lor the good of the Empire as a. whole. Air. MacDonald, who welcomed the delegates, said the conference had to consider three main aspects ot problems of common concern ; firstly, political and constitutional relations, on which general principles were laid down and accepted by all m 1023; secondly, questions concerning relations with foreign powers, particularly how the Empire’s combined influence rould forward the work ot disarmament ancl the establishment of machinery for a peaceful settlement of disputes between nations; and, thirdly, the acute trade depression from which the whole world, including ourselves, was sullering, making them give special attention to the problem of their own economic relations. Remembering each’s contracts with other nations each government had to accommodate itseti. Thov nevertheless, could bond tlioir energies to devising practical economic moans helping each other to make as groat a contribution as they could to a solution thereof. ’I Ins was their task .and if they succeeded it would be because they had confidence in each other, inspired by the spirit of free discussion which had characterised their union.

MISSIXG COM.KAMI lIS. Mr MacDonald, alter welc.omin" the delegates, referred to the fact that four of his tellow l’rinie Ministers were, like himself, attending their first Imperial Conference, and paid a tribute to the work clone bv the lfi"AS conference by some whom thev missed to-day: The late Lord Balfour, whose name would nlwats no associated with the report of the in-ter-imperial relations committee ot the conference 1 ; the late Air. <) Higgins, to whose keen, and vigorous intellect the deliberations ol the last conference owed much; and Uord Birkenhend. whose death ncfUlied yesterday.

LEGAL STRUCTURE T.O BI examined.

It was now the conference’s task to consider upon the basis ol then experience how to give practical elfect to the declarations of the 11/26 conference. In order to prepare u>r the work the existing legal structure of the Commonwealth had to be examined to see what modifications anti adaptations were . required to bring it into accord with those aeclaratious. This had been done with care and thoroughness by a special conference on the operation of Dominion legislation. ‘Whose recommendations thev must consider, never forgetting that behind them work was the thought of building the future. Whatever changes of form they nii-rht accept they should he guided by the truth that though the torm wa.s undoubtedly important, it was not the form but the Spirit belnnc, the form which mattered.

EMPIRE’S EFFORTS TOWARDS

AVOKLD PEACE

The other two aspects of the agenda indicated most important Adds m which their co-operation might he actively pursued. In the sphere ol ioreign' affairs the great objective was to secure and maintain world peace, and the co-operation of nations in world affairs. “Since 1926. 1 think, we may point to three great steps which w have taken together to this end. he said. “First, the signature ol tin* Paris Peace Pact has recorded the solemn assent of the chief countries of the world to the principle that war shall no longer he used as an instrument of national policy, and that the settlement of disputes shall only lie'sought by pacific, menus, we have since co-operated in taking n long step towards ilie esinhli-ninent