IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20679, 26 September 1930, Page 11

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

OPENING ON WEDNESDAY.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION.

LENGTHY SESSION LIKELY.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright, British Wireless. RUGBY, Sept. 24,

The agenda of the Imperial Conference, which is to be opened next Wednesday, October 1, will not take final form until the arrival of the Dominion Prime Ministers next week.

The Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. R. B. Bennett, is now crossing the Atlantic, Mr. G. W. Forbes, Prime Minister of New Zealand, is due to-morrow, and will stay at tho Savoy Hotel. Sir. J. H. Scullin (Australia) has arrived, and General Hertzog (South Africa) is on his way from Geneva. The Irish Free State delegation is due to arrive on Monday. Tho High Commissioner for New Zealand, Sir Thomas Wilford, is in London, so also are many subordinate members of the different delegations. The questions to come before the conference will bo divided into three main categories as follow: — (1) Inter-Imperial relations. (2) Foreign policy and defence. (3) Economic questions in general. In an outline of the agenda which the Prime Minister, Mr. MaeDonald, gave ill the House of Commons two months ago, he explained that under the heading of inter-Imperial relations will bo considered recommendations of the Committee on Dominion Legislation and other matters of a constitutional character cognate to and arising, from thoso discussed in the report of tho Inter-Imperial Relations Committee set up by the last Imperial Conference held four years ago. Foreign policy and defence will cover peace and arbitration, reduction and limitation of armaments and questions of defence. , The economic discussions' will include the general questions of tho trade of the Empire, including capital investments and the establishment of branch industries, the effect of successive tariff changes and the extent and effect of interImperial tariff preferences and of other factors such as cartels, etc.; bulk purchaso and price stabilisation; the development of inter-Imperial trade by trade commissioners' services; exhibitions and general publicity; oversea settlement; cooperation of research organisations; transport and communications. The conference is likely to last some weeks. Among other engagements outside tho conference which the delegates will attend is a dinner to be given in their honour by the League of Nations Lnion, at which tho Prince of "Wales will speak. Viscount Grey will preside.

The speakers will include the Secretary of State for the Dominions, Mr. J. H. Thomas, Sir Austen Chamberlain and some of the visiting Prime Ministers.

WOOL RESEARCH.

NEW SCHEME OF WORK. OFFICIAL EMPIRE BASIS. (Received September 25. 10.35 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 25. It is learned that the Imperial Wool Research Conference now meeting at Leeds intends to present a report to the Imperial Conference. It is believed that this will deal with a wider scheme of research work on an officially constituted Empire basis.