EMPIRE PIVOT

Northern Advocate, 26 July 1923, Page 5

EMPIRE PIVOT

MOVED TO THE EAST

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

QUESTIONS.

DEFENCE PARAMOUNT.

(Received 9.5 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Ddjr. In the House of Reprpsontatives Mr S. M. Bruce,- Prime Minister, dcclarcd that th<j' twp.< outstanding questions at the Imperial Conference would bo foreign policy and The Imperial Government had forwarded the fullest information oh foreign affairs, but such information was., always received concurrently yvith a -public an- * noun cement. It always, came whentoo late'iO;influenco decision. -

In Urging the need for closer con- » sultation. Mr Bruce said he believed that some good: would result from the appointment of a Minister in Britain

for a short period, provided he retained his Ministerial status.. He had also favoured the creation of a small Australian Secretariat within the British Foreign. Office to assist in informing publicopinion in Australia. Another aspect was whether separate Dominions were to be entitled to conclude separate treaties *ou thfitr own, account.

Dealing with defence, Mr Bruco said that neither the League of Nations nor > . the Washington Conference had solved , the defencc problems for Australia. There- wn room -for a - conference of Pacific nations to discuss the armament ■ question. Defence was an impossible v task for Australia by herself. Only by different parts of the Empire acting together could a proper scheme of Em- ; pire. defence'bo secured. He would toll";" the Conference that Australia "was prepared to do her part in such % a schemo. The establishment of the Singapore base was a condition precedent to-the establishment of any large fleet tbcre, therefore the proposal .must commetftl itself, to thp people of Australia. It; , showed that Britain, recognised that the heart of the Empire was,not nortr, : the North Sea, but,had shifted .'to'/, the Pacific. Tho proposal .meant ing out that which had for a long time : been the Australian ideal. . , Mr Bruce next dealt with the portanee of tho development of ainjSiip j and wireless services. ; • In all tlies a matters li© that he would not commit Australia one penny expense till Parliament .had. had a full opportunity of disejissingV the decisions of;su&£tonfcronc s c.Turning'to the Econojwte GortferencV, *' Mr Brucc declared that the most im- i portant subject for., discussion 1 was overseas settlement.- Trade development was bound up with the land settlement question. It was a problem of finding ma lJc'cts for Empire products., Unless Australia jcouldfind markets for *' her surplus product* it was useless to go on with the migration schemcjr.;; There was no reason why they not entpr into .inter-Empire trade arrangements which, while not shutting the door to other nations, would help,; Britain aid the Empire over a period' when the markets ofthe'whole worlil ' T «• . were unsthblo..;v.--* " , 5, 1

The onlywwary r to was reciprocity, within tlie Empire* he proposed tovrgc power.- Upon Australia'was:;• the obligation. for preference. If cWdr:ii^t^ find markets evitably • find them/j That n»aiit that goods would be/,Bubjrtsso|ec\ for of Britainf That Wis 'tjb.£'.l&k*tluiig' { the Ministry desired, localise ft would bo most serious to Britain. , In . regard to preference, l&r Brtico declared that under it Empire within the Umpire would increase purchasing power Dominions 5 }'$% from Britain. If a Em- • pire foreign policy.' Were toot reachcwi itr js-'| would mean disintegration of the "Em?, pire, and the result of that would h' -i disastrous . /->-7v He believed that the doing its foest in the interest of Commonwealth., It held should defend herself .ajid thtft the Empire be a policy for* the'whole Enipifei » $ The whole question should .'be ap»* «-sl! proached ,from a high standpoint. - • ~ . . The debate vrap adjourned.—A. andv ; ' N.Z. ' - . d

PREFERENTIAL POLICY. BOLD ACTIONREQUIRED. ' (Bcccived .10,45 a.m f ) LOXDON,' July 25. , , Professor Hew ins, addressing a meetting of Parliamentarians ion develop* <. v ment of. the Empire, in,.relation Injperial Conference, insisted members of the proftch the of Itop6Nsi^Sßß| with open jnindsj. jegpflless of * o trado in a Oftfjr IlifcJO preserved- anddftvelop<3d tiy fcrcntial policjr, upon which th&'-::(^i£pf|s ernmont must 'be -prepared to appeal the country. The present p.refereiiee,";^ was practically valueless to }M like Australia and New/Zealand and N.Z. > • ■:■'■ •'&11 ■ _■' • v