THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1930. ENDING IN DESPAIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20721, 14 November 1930, Page 10

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1930. ENDING IN DESPAIR.

The Imperial Conference, which opened in high hope, shows every indication of ending in despair. True, it is not over yet, so it might lie suggested that it was too soon to say it had accomplished nothing. Since, however, the final plenary j session has been fixed for this morning, since at least one Prime Minister, General Hertzog, will leave for home immediately afterwards, there is no use expecting anything sensational in the way of results to develop. From the tone of the latest London messages, the Dominions delegates have given up hope of any achievement in the field of Empire economic relations. The most anyone has ventured to predict is that the existing preferences will be retained. For so much those concerned will doubtless be thankful, but it is not a great deal to show after a gathering to which delegates travelled over many thousands of sea miles, a conference which has been in session for six weeks. As emblematic of the general atmosphere of failure, it is stated that agreement on constitutional questions has been secured only by dropping all controversial points. To most minds there was little remaining to be done in this department after the stage reached at the last conference. The issues still "outstanding did not promise to affect the citizens of the Empire in their daily round, their every-day life. Adjustments remaining to be made might be of concern to lawyers and constitutionalists, but they had little appeal to the lay mind. The ruling and the agreement over status and sovereignty reached at the previous gathering seemed to bring so

little practical consequence in their train that there was no enthusiasm | over reaching the logical conclusion. The lack of decisiveness in that direction can therefore be passed by lightly, Before the conference ruei; it was generally agreed that never had opinion in Britain or the Dominions been better attuned for the earnest discussion of practical proposals in the economic sphere. For many years an eager desire for a greater measure of reciprocity and co-opera-tion had been shown by the Dominions. Preferences to British goods had long been given voluntarily. While there was no disposition to dispute the undoubted fact that Britain could abstain from following a similar course without any breach of faith being chargeable against her, any gesture in that direction would have been eagerly welcomed, and avenues for making a further return would have been earnestly explored. The few and tentative advances made toward the grant of preferences since the war, affecting such commodities as sugar, dried fruits, wines and tobacco, were accepted thankfully. If the present conference opened with higher hopes than had been entertained before, it was because opinion in the Dominions had been prepared, by considerable and fairly definite indications, to expect a keener enthusiasm for Empire economic co-operation, and a greater flexibility of mind on the allimportant question of ways and means. The disposition of the Dominions was all toward preferential tariffs. There is nothing new in that. It has been their unanimous and consistent attitude for many years. They did not, they could not, demand in advance that this policy should be accepted by Britain. hat they could expect, and undoubtedly did, was that it should be considered with an open inind, not prejudged and banned as it naturally was when devotion to free trade was the overwhelming British sentiment. Now, as is obvious from the many circumstantial reports, they have found those who met them in conference just as rigid on the subject as the most determined opponents of preference in the past. Thus the hopes formed beforehand have been dashed. It is now suggested that the difficult questions of preference, quotas, mpoi't boards and bulk purchase should be referred to a special •conomic conference to meet next •ear. possibly at Ottawa. If this gathering should be merely an adourned meeting of the present coriciencc, it is difficult to see what he benefit would be. The British Government, taking its cue from Messrs. .Mac Donald and Snowden 'specially the latter—has set its ace against the use of tariffs to Lchieve the desired results. Its >wn devices, already recited, i;«rvke 10 appeal to the Dominions. On hat basis there is not much promise >f progress at Ottawa. In the cirumstances, it is only reasonable to upposc the possibility of a special eonomic conference next year has >eeri advanced with the underlying uggestion that a general election nay be held in the immediate uture. The belief that political vents arc moving in that direction las been freely arid definitely extressed. If there is a dissolution, lothing is more certain than that empire development, with tariffs as u instrument, will be made an ssue. The idea that in taking up U present, inflexible attitude on the übject the Government is lagging ichirid public opinion could then be ested. There are sections in Britain agcr and willing to make the quesion a battle-cry. It not fore;°ne conclusion that the result >ou!d be victory for Empire tariffs, rue, there have been increasing igns that opinion is veering that ' ft y. but two things must be counted n the other side, the unassessable ut all-important silent vote, and he potency of the old slogan, "Your nod will cost yon more." For all hat, it an economic conference is to e held next, year, it would be better hat British opinion should have >ecu tested first. Then there would e no danger of unfounded hopes, or j f the disappointment this Imperial Conference seems destined to yield, j