PREMIER’S MISSION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 290, 6 November 1929, Page 9

PREMIER’S MISSION

CONTACT WITH UNITED STATES. INESTIMABLE VALUE. STATEMENT IN COMMONS.. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received November 6. 11.35 a.m. RUGBY, Nov. 5. In the House of Commons to-day, Mr Mao Donald reported upon his visit to the United States of America and Canada. The Prime Minister stated that what success the visit had wiis largely owing to the hearty support of. all the parties in this country. He went out not as a party leader, but as a national representative. He took the opportunity of thanking President Hoover and his Cabinet, and both the Senate and the House of Representatives for the welcome they gave him and the honour paid him as representative of this country. Mr MacDonald spoke of the candour with which difficult questions were raised and discussed and said that though some of the matters he had to deal with might easily have aroused prejudices, from beginning to end he found nothing but thoughtfulness and a desire to co-operate in placing facts and positions justly before this country. No Government could have opened the doors of their minds and hearts wider. The purpose of his visit was to try by personal contact to establish new relations between the two peoples, based on mutual understanding not only of common objects to be pursued, but also of natural differences to be respected. The results must be left to fructify in policy and in action. The conversations he had had earlier with General Dawes, the United States Ambassador in London, had already removed the fear that the unbridged differences between the United States of America and Britain would doom the International Conference to failure. In those conversations with President Hoover, the studying with him of ways and means of filling in the narrow gaps still in the building programme, which would at the same time recognise both parity of strength and variety in the use of tonnage, both recognised that the agreement they were seeking was one not merely between thmselves, but one which would have to fit into a wider co-operation and the final settlement. The other Powers would probably have much to say from their own viewpoints on naval problems. They were discussing preliminarv conversations with the other Powers, and were now proceeding above and beyond the definite subject of naval agreement. There was a desire to make it clear to everybody that in our mutual relations the Pans Peace Pact was a reality and so in joint statement a declaration to that effect was made for the first time officially by representatives of the two nations. “The United States,” continued Mr MacDonald, “pursues with vigilant jealousy its historical policy of keeping free from all world entanglements and is, therefore, not in the League of Nations. We are in the League of Nations. We have contracted obligations and we shall remain loyal to them.” ~ , On neither side was any attempt made to change these facts. In the course of the discussions the President raised some of the major historical causes of difference, such as belligerent rights, so-called fortified bases and' so on, which were still active in forming public opinion, and it was agreed to examine them, and he believed that nothing but good could come from the exchalige of views on these questions. Mr MacDonald, in conclusion expressed great appreciation of the welcome he received in Canada,. where he discussed with Mr Mackenzie King, the Prime Minister, matters which had arisen in AVashington of special interest to Canada and political and economic subjects of mutual concern. Mr Baldwin and Mr Lloyd George cordially congratulated Mr MacDonald on his tour and agreed as to the inestimable value of the contact thus established with the United States.