CANADA AND EMPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18632, 13 February 1924, Page 9

CANADA AND EMPIRE.

" ONE AND INDIVISIBLE." RELATIONS WITH TH STATES A MATTER'' OF GEOGRAPHY By Telegraph—Press Associalior Cot>yr3|!iV A. and N.Z. OTTAWA. Feb U. 'Setting aside a long-standing rule, Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, accorded the Australian and New Zealand Press Association the .first press interview since he assumed the Premiership. He expressed satisfaction over the efforts to extend trade between the .Dominions, and declared he believed whole-heartedly in preference arrangements in all cases -where they could tether the natural trade interests of the parties concerned. He did not believe in any arrangement which would disturb the fiscal! policies of' the several Dominions. ! Canada desired to encourage interDominion trade, but could not do thin at the expense of its already-established and necessary, trade connections. He looked with satisfaction upon the efforts of Australia and New Zealand and Canada, to encourage immigration. He deprecated any attempt to characterise this as competition between the Dominions. There wero, ho said, sufficient suitable British immigrants for alt. Touching Canadian foreign affaini, he stated that he had read Mr. Barrett's speech inviting Canada to become ft member of the Pan-American Union, and proceeded: "There are not 10 men in Canada to-dlay who give this question thought. It iis not timely, if for no other reason than that no nation can become a member of that union unless it has its own diplomatic representative at Washington. Canada, of course,, will in the near future have such a representative, but the Dominion is not hastening the appointment because the choice of a right man requires time, since an unsuitable appointment could prove very unfortunate. It is a matter of geography that compels Canada to appoint its own representative at Washington. Ninety per cent. of Canada's relations are with the United States. It becomes difficult constantly to call upon the British Ambassador to handle countless minor matters.

"Canada long ago discontinued the practice of acting through the British, Colonial and Foreign Offices, thence to the British Embassy at Washington. Canada now sends her diplomatic 'papers direct from Ottawa to the Embassy. It is but another shortening of the process to , have her own man at Washington. It will not be long before we can forward our papers from Ottawa to our representative at Washington by aeroplane. ■ The other British Dominions naturally are not in the same 1 position as Canada in this respect, because their interests are not so clearly allied with those of the United States."

. Mr. King concluded: "The people of Canada and myself wish to express feelings of the closest friendship with the people of Australia and New Zealand. We look upon the people of those great Dominions as particularly close kinsmen, to whom we ?j« united in the warmest ties of Empire. We happily stand together to further the great ideal of an Empire one and indivisible its the best assurance of peace, progress, and tranquillity."