THE PRIME MINISTER

Manawatu Standard, Volume LI, Issue 42, 20 January 1931, Page 7

THE PRIME MINISTER

RETURN OF MR. FORBES RECEPTION AT WELLINGTON IMPERIAL CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, Prime Minister of Hew Zealand, and party, returned to Wellington to-day by the TTlimaroa, from Sydney. Mr Forbes, who has attended the Imperial Conference in .London and visited centres in Britain in connection with Hew Zealand’s trade activities, has issued a lengthy statement detailing the activities of the conference of 1930.

ONEROUS WORK.

CONFERENCE OF 1930. MR, FORBES’S STATEMENT.

MENT.

WELLINGTON, Jan. 20.

“It is a real pleasure to Mrs Forbes and myself, and to all tlie members of the party, to return to the Dominion. “During the last few months we have had the opportunity of seeing many lands, but the most gratifying experience of all is the sight of our own shores' and our own people. It is a great \ satisfaction to be able to say that wherever we-have been we have received, as representatives of New Zealand, the utmost kindness and hospitality, and there can be no doubt -that the reputation of New Zealand and the New Zealanders stands very high indeed in other parts of the world. In the Old Country, especially, there is a very warm regard for New Zealand, which is looked upon and, I think, rightly so, as the nearest in sentiment of all the Dominions.

“This is, of course, the first Imperial Conference I have had the opportunity of attending as Prime Minister of the Dominion. The work has been onerous and exacting, but the experience has been interesting and exceedingly valuable j No doubt the people of New Zealand have been informed by Press messages of the day-to-day work of the conference, but I feel it desirable as my first act on returning to the Dominion to make a general statement on the work of the conference and its results as far as they may be seen at present. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES.

“On the constitutional side there were many questions of far-reaching importance to be considered, most of them arising from the formula of the 1926; Imperial Conference on the relations of the various portions of the British Commonwealth of Nations, and from the subsequent report of the conference of 1929 on the operation of Dominion legislation on these subjects. Though it was not possible to. obtain agreement on all points, there can be ho doubt that valuable and lasting work has been done. The conference considered very carefully the 1929 report, having the advantage of a lengthv “and painstaking enquiry by an expert committee of the conference under the chairmanship of Lord Sankey. : As a result, the report was approved of and the Parliaments of each Dominion are to be asked to pass a resolution authorising the Parliament at Westminster to pass the necessary legislation to limit the application ot the 'Colonial Laws Validity Act, 1865, and .thus to ensure the autonomy of Dominion legislation as contemplated by .that report. . ■* “By the terms of this proposed legislation, New Zealand is not to be affected unless and until the Parliament of this Dominion has itself adopted the legislation. I think I correctly interpreted public opinion in New Zealapd when I expressed the opinion that we in this Dominion are not desirous of any alteration in our present constitutional position, which has proved thoroughly satisfactory in its operation in the past, and the course now adopted will enable the whole subject to be carefully considered by our own Parliament before any action is taken affecting us.

NATIONALITY PROBLEM. “The new constitutional position contemplated by this proposed legislation will give rise to certain problems relating to the co-ordination of legislative and. administrative activities throughout the British Commonwealth. Of these problems, one of the most important is that of nationality, and on this subject the conference rightly attached considerable importance to the maintenance throughout the Commonwealth of uniform nationality laws and the reciprocal recognition of a common nationality. It was, unfortunately, not'possible to arrive at a .unanimous agreement in connection with_the nationality of married women, and it will be possible, therefoie, to make only a small advance in meeting the desire of associations of women ha a British woman should not lose her nationality on marriage t 0 a It will, I think, be recognised, however, that the paramount necessity m this connection is uniformity thioughout the Empire. %

COMMONWEALTH TRIBUNAL. “The framework of a Commonwealth Tribunal to deni with any disputes which may arise between mem tiers of the Commonwealth has been provided, and some steps have been suggested still further, to improve the status of High Commissioner in London. No alteration has been made in the present position with reference to appeals to the Privy Council “Before leaving the constitutional, question I should like to add that the decisions of the conference that has just concluded flowed logically from the decisions of the previous conferences. There may be room for considerable difference of opinion as to whether the alterations now proposed in the framework of the British Com monwealth will prove to be beneficial or otherwise. The balance of opinion would seem to be that such changes were inevitable, and that thecon stitution of our Imperial organisation, while remaining as far as P°f' sible unwritten, must be sufficient y flexible to permit of adjustment from time to time in conformity with the changing conditions. , YJ 1 ' 1 ® ®. , changes proposed are probably g in appearance than in fact, y> nevertheless, represent a momentous step, the wisdom of which time alone will prove. IMPERIAL DEFENCE. T “Though there were no set discus^ sions by the conference ■ on Impmal defence, the subject received 1' consideration by committees of experts and very valuable work was done m this connection. It will. It > a matter of great satisfaction to the people of New Zealand that the conference was able to endorse the provision of a naval base at . Singapore, though financial considerations tendered it desirable to postpone for a

time certain portions of the scheme as originally proposed. ARBITRATION AND DISARMA-

“One of the most important discussions at the conference was that on the allied-question of arbitration and disarmament. The policy of the British Commonwealth has always been one of peace, and the question for consideration by the conference was how far it would be possible, in co-opera-tion with other nations, to increase the feeling of international security by a general agreement to arbitrate and thus to faciliate a reduction and limitation of armaments. The last few years have seen very important steps in the direction of international security. Every portion of the British Commonwealth has already signed and ratified the Optional Clause of the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice, under which we have agreed to accept the decision of the Court on all legal questions, and the Kellogg Pact, under which practically every nation of the world has definitely renounced war as an instrument of national policy. The question considered by the conference on this occasion was whether, having regard to these two vitally-important documents, it would be possible to take further steps forward. Two definite aspects were before the conference—whether the members of the British Commonwealth should approve of 'tlip amendments recently proposed to the Covenant of the League of Nations, having the effect of rendering war illegal under any circumstances and thus bringing the Covenant into conformity with the Kellogg Pact, and whether, in addition to the undertaking of the Optional Clause in relation to legal questions, it would be possible to accept the provisions of ‘the general act for the pacific settlement of international disputes,’ rendering it obligatory to arbitrate on all questions. “The decision of the conference was that it was in the best interest of the Commonwealth that the amendments to the Covenant should, be supported and that the ‘general act’ should be adopted, with similar reservations as were made in the case of the Optional •Clause. . “On the question of disarmament the conference considered the text of a draft Disarmament Convention, drawn up by the Preparatory Commission appointed by the League of Nations, and it was decided to support this convention in the hope that it would ultimately lead to a reduction and limitation of armaments throughout the world.

IMPERIAL RELATIONS. 'The widespread economic depression made the subject of inter-Im-perial commercial relations one of paramount importance, and I had high hopes that the deliberations of this conference would have led to some practical steps being taken in the direction of safeguarding and increasing our mutual trade within the Empire. New Zealand’s policy for many years has been to extend a tariff preference to British goods, and this policy has been cordially approved of ’;y our PJHiament and by the people of the DqMpnion. It is, moreover, greatly appreciated by our kinsfolk in the Mother Country. I recognised that the conditions of the Dominions were not on all fours with those of the United Kingdom, but in the present depression it was my strong view that a system of preferential duties might with advantage be devised to apply to the whole of. the British Empire: I felt that if ever it was necessary for all portions of the Empire to stand shoulder ,to shoulder it was when all portions were facing the conditions of .a. gi ave economic crisis. It was a coincidence, and certainly more than a coincidence, that the views that I formed^ were identical with the views of the Prime Ministers of Ihe other oversea Dominions. We had no hesitation in expressing those views. We had been invited to attend the Imperial Conference to consider the common welfare of all portions of the Commonwealth, and each of us thought that a want of frankness or a failure to express what was in our minds would have been a neglect of a plain duty. Wo expressed our views on Ihe subject with the fullest realisation that it was for the Government of the “niteel Kingdom and the people of the United Kingdom to decide what was best in their own interests.

A VITAL QUESTION. “I recognised also that the British Government were committed to a fiscal policy which gave little promise of their being able to accept any solution such as we had proposed. A great deal of the time of the conference was occupied in the consideration of this most important question and in the result, as is now well known, it was found not only that each oversea Dominion was in favour of a system of tariff protection, combined with an effective preference for British goods, but also that the British Government were unable to reciprocate. We made no complaint respecting this decision and we turned at the request of the British Government to a consideration of various alternatives suggested by them, namely quotas, import boards, bulk purchase schemes and the organisation of channels of trade. Personally I had little confidence that these alternatives would in practice prove to be effective, nor did I observe any marked indication of such a confidence' in any other quarters. THE OTTAWA CONFERENCE.

“However, together with the representatives of the other Dominions I agreed to the suggestion of a further examination of the aspect at a conference to be held at Ottawa towards the end of this year. Before this latter conference meets, all the Dominions will no doubt have carefully considered these proposals and the reports of the Economic Committee thereon, and we shall be in a position to enter that conference with a fuller knowledge, which, we hope, may lead to some satisfactory arrangement being arrived at. “Personally, I am convinced that the future economic welfare of the Empire will 'depend on an increased and increasing volume of inter-Lu-perial trade, and any measure that promises to effect this will receive my

hearty support. My view is that this can best be accomplished by a system I of mutual preferences. I stressed this at the conference and I regret that we were unable to come to an agreement. I must at least make it plain that where we differed we differed as warm friends and with a ready .recognition of each other’s difficulties. There was no question of the Dominion Prime Ministers endeavouring to influence either the British-Government or the British people for the benefit of the Dominions. I made it clear myself ■that while a preference in favour of New Zealand goods would undoubtedly be appreciated by ''our Dominion, my proposal was put forward, not from the point of view of New Zealand buj; as an earnest endeavour to solve the problerqs that were confronting the British Commonwealth as a whole. I think that point of view was accepted by the people of the United Kingdom and by the British Government, and although it was impossible to have any effective steps taken on this occasion, a distinct advance has nevertheless been made, in that we have the definite statement of a problem, its isolation from the - general political questions of the day and the focussing of public attention on is prior to the meeting of the proposed conference at Ottawa.

EMPIRE MARKETING. “It must not be supposed that the consideration of economic subjects by the Imperial Conference was confined to the larger questions already referred to. Many other subjects of great importance in themselves were considered and discussed and in many cases real progress was made. Amongst theso the Imperial Conference considered the work of various organisations in the United Kingdom, such as the Imperial Shipping Committee, the Imperial Economic Committee, the Empire Marketing Board and the Imperial Institute. The work of each of these bodies was approved and in some cases linos for more intensive activity in the future were laid down.

“In connection with the Empire Marketing Board in particular, whose activities have done so much to promote the sale of Empire products m the United Kingdom, considerable adjustments were proposed by the conference. Tlio funds expended by this board are provided by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, but it has now been recommended by the conference that the limitation of the expenditure to marketing in the United Kingdom should now bo removed and • that the board should be constituted with a fixed annual income, with the object of furthering the sale of Empire products generally. The operations of the board will, I am convinced, prove of material assistance in the future to inter-im-perial trade, not only by reason of its advertising and publicity activities, but also by reason of. the importance it attaches to scientific work and the monetary assistance it provides for this purpose. OVERSEAS SETTLEMENT.

“On this occasion unfortunately it was not possible to take any effective steps in regard to, overseas settlement. It was Tecognised by all that the most effective distribution of the white population of the Empire was 5, matter of primary importance, but that, while each member of the Commonwealth had its own problems of unemployment, it was quite out of the question to consider any large movement of population from one position to another. The most that could be done was to record the importance which the conference attached to the subject, its dependence on they question of adequate markets and the necessity for reconsideration as soon as the economic conditions permitted.

RECIPROCAL PENSIONS. At the instance of New Zealand the question of reciprocity in old age pensions was again discussed at this conference. The diversity of the various systems in the Empire naturally gives rise to difficulties in providing for reciprocity and the utmost that could be done was to obtain an agreement that each portion of the Commonwealth should take power in its legislation to arrive at individual reciprocal agreements with other portions of the Empire. It was thought that reeiprpcity could be more rapidly obtained by individual agreements than by any comprehensive scheme. ' “Other subjects considered and reported upon by the conference included imperial communications (other than transport), forestry , the International Institute of Agriculture at Rome, cotton growing, the work of Imperial organisations in the field of minerals, petroleum production and refining in the Empire, the adequacy of existing steamship services, double income tax relief, the use of cinematograph films for the education ' of producers, the standardisation of the form of Customs invoices, the free entry of books, and Empire marks of origin. On all these matters special committees went carefully into the possibility of improving the present position, and on some of them it was found possible to arrive at agreement for common action. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. “During the conference meetings of experts in scientific research were arranged for, at which New Zealand was represented by the secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The research committee of the conference, was chiefly occupied in considering proposals for closer cooperation between the scientific and research services in the United Kingdom and the Dominions. Among the subjects reported upon by this committee and adopted by the conference were the mineral resources of the Empire, Imperial agricultural bureaux, forest products, the production of oil from coal, geophysical methods of survey, the preservation and transport of food, and general co-operation in research. ' “New Zealand was also represented at the Imperial World Research Conference and at a conference on standardisation, which led to important recommendations.

“I think there is a common impression that the Imperial Conference of 1930 has been less productive of material results than its predecessors. To some extent I think this may well be the case. “Though the valuable work accomplished in respect of mnny important ' subjects must not be ignored, I think that so much was expected at any rate on the economic side of this conference that the absence. of any startling or dramatic exclusions has led to general disappointment. It must be borne in mind, however, that radical changes in the policy of such a huge organisation as the British Empire cannot be effected with safety without lengthy and detailed consideration. I, myself, hoped that more might have been achieved, but, on the whole, I think that as much was done as could reasonably be expected. That more was not achieved was not due to any lack of goodwill or to any want of effort on the part of all concerned. “If nothing whatever of a concrete nature had developed from the conference, it is my belief that it was well worth while. The advantages of the personal contact and discussion between the representatives of the Mother Country and the various portions of the Empire, and the good feelings and friendships formed have an incalculable value in themselves in maintaining and strengthening

the sentiment on which the British Empire is based. .

• “In conclusion, I have pleasure m paying a warm tribute to the valuable assistance tendered to me by my colleague, Sir Thomas Sidey, who acted with me as representative of New Zealand at the Imperial Conference. His sound legal knowledge, combined with his tact and political experience, were most valuable not only in presenting the representations of the Dominion to the conference, but also in considering the many important constitutional questions which came up for 7, discussion.

“I should like also to express my warm appreciation of the services rendered by the members of the official staff of the delegation, Mr F. D. Thomson, Mr O. A. Berendsen, Dr G. Craig, Dr. E. Marsden and Mr C. A. Jeffery.”

THE OFFICIAL RECEPTION. ROUGH WEATHER PREVAILS. (By Telegraph.—Special to Standard.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 20. A howling north-wester was Wellington’s weather Welcome to the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, and party, but the elements were tempered by the hearty reception on the wharf from a large and representative gathering of Parliamentarians and citizens. A section of the unemployed had threatened to make a demonstration, but heavy rain destroyed their enthusiasm. Several hundred spectators waited in the shelter of the wharf exit till the official car, preceded by two mounted police, made its appearance. There was half-hearted hooting and some cheering and in a few seconds the demonstration was over.

The official reception in the wharf shed went on to a background of splashing waves and the pattering of rain.

Mr J. W. McEwan, chairman of the Harbour Board, told Mr Forbes that he might have a pretty hard task to balance his Budget, but there was a good time coming and New Zealanders were the people to work together for the country’s prosperity. Hon. E. A. Ransom, acting Premier, declared that the people were heartily in accord with the Prime Minister’s attitude regarding Imperial preference. Foreign competition often was unfair and was interfering largely with the Empire’s prosperity, and sooner or later this would be realised by the people of the Homeland. The times were difficult, with unemployment the major problem, but the Government was endeavouring to face things courageously and was concentrating on land development and settlement. He assured Mr Forbes that there was a determination among the people to put politics aside in order to pull the country out of its depression. Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Leader of the Opposition, referring to the. Premier’s evident good health, declared that he looked, as always, as if thete were good times ahead. Everyone would have liked to see him return to a prosperous country, but everyone recognised that the problems must be met fairly and squarely, with a determination that the burdens should bo distributed evenly among every section. Then it would not be long before prosperous times again arrived. “We are all anxious,” concluded Mr Coates,- “to follow the lead. While we may have differing opinions we are all prepared to do the right thing for our country. That is the first and foremost thought.” NEW ZEALAND’S GOOD NAME.

Mr Forbes, after acknowledging the fine reception accorded him, thanked his colleagues for their capable work under difficulties and paid a tribute to the former efficient representation of Now Zealand at Imperial Conferences. There was a splend,id feeling for New Zealand in the Old Land. They all said New Zealand was a sporting country and its name was an “Open Sesame.” Ho had seen the wonderful country of winch he had been told so much. He had met the heads of other Dominions and found that in England itself there was a strong and growing feeling favouring Imperial preference. One had only to mention it i«r an audience to get up and cheer. Ho was confident that public -opinion would in the end make itself felt on this question. New Zealand did not go to Britain to bargain with its existing preferences to Britain.

He had come through many countries, all with their difficulties, but there was a feeling that now we were down to bedrock and a little below that, things must begin to. improve. The position called for courage and firmness, and if there was ever occasion for the co-opera-tion of citizens with the Government of the country, this was the time. ‘“We are always proud to call New Zealand ‘God’s Own Country,’ and when we. face trouble difficulty, then is the time to show that wo are not a elfish people. We have a reputation for courage and I believe we will do our best to avert distress and at the same time get the ship on an even keel.”