DEFENCE AFFAIRS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1939, Page 5

DEFENCE AFFAIRS

PROPOSED CONFER.

A TRIPLE REPRESENTATION.

(United Press Association—By Electric , Telegraph—Copyright).

| LONDON?, March 9. An early announcements ;m,ay ; be expected concerning an Imperial Pacific •Conference to which the;'United" Kingdom, Australia the .parties.. It k-f on defence," air communication, trade and economics.

M It is Relieved that the- talks fwill be- | gin without delay -between representa- . I tives of the three countKes, who will • already be in Australia when the anI nouncement is made. MR SAVAGE’S DISCLOSURE. ■ \I , _„ < -. ;• v | WELLINGTON, March 9. ’ Confirmation of the cabled message • I from Canberra that a conference about, j defence was to be held between New j Zealand, Australia and Britain has J been supplied by Rt. Hon. M. J. SavI age. . v: V '-/ : v ; I The Prime- Minister indicated that I this conference has been called at 1 I Nqw Zealand’s instigation. “I see by a cable, I am charged with holding things up,” ho said. “As a I matter of fact, New Zealand has been j pressing nfor.vthis conference for some time in order tq discuss defence mat ' I ters, and that has been agreed to. I am not holding anything up. I am j simply asking : that the three countries should make a joint statement, at a time to be agreed upon between I them.”. /. 1 BRITISH ATTITUDE. - I . • I , ' \ LONDON, March 9. In the House of Commons, Mr W. J S.. Saunders (Labour) asked what arI rangements had been made with the Dominions for assistance. :■ I Major Rayrier-replied that the Do- | minions might .be expected to concenI trate, firstly on their, own needs, for all of them \Jbad their danger, zones. It was for them to decide, whetherto join in any imperial • war. -Major Rayner added the Dominion opinion did not favour the sending of a Dominion citizen army again to fight on a'Euro- | pean battlefield. He added: “We can- , not again depend on the Dominions to form a general reserve for a European front. We ought to consider the holding of an imperial conference in order to decide how the defensive policy of the Dominions can be fitted into a 00- 1 operative whole. ; We feel that the Dominions, haying obtained their sovereignty, • should; assume the . responsibility for it. /It is not fair to us or it is not good, business . for themselves 'to claim'their freedom .to decide as to whether tliey will fight in any possible war, and, simultaneously, rely on British arms for their defence.”

BREN GUN CARRIERS.

WELLINGTON, March 8,

Tlib first consignment of armoured Bren gun-carriers, of which the Government has ordered a number in ao- ; cordance with its policy of providing the Territorial Army ' with the latest equipment, arrived by the'Opawa on Tuesday, from the United:' Kingdom. : They were conveyed to Trentham , camp by motor lorry for overhaul and running-in. During the morning, the Prime Minister (Mr Savage) and the Minister for Defence (Mr Jones) .and : the Minister for Finance (Mr Nash) inspected one, of the vehicles in front of Parliament Buildings. They ex- : pressed themselves' deeply impressed by the possibilities of the armoured Qarrier, which represents the.', latest de- ' in army mechanisation.