THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1937 MR. SAVAGE'S MISSION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22792, 28 July 1937, Page 12

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1937 MR. SAVAGE'S MISSION

The Prime Minister is assured of a warm welcome at Wellington to-day on his return from a mission in which he represented all New Zcalanders, first at the Coronation of the King-Emperor, and later at the Imperial Conference. Although his short trip abroad could not be considered a holiday, citizens will hope that the four months' break from daily administrative demands will have benefited Mr.. Savage physically and that personal contacts with British and Empire leaders will have enriched his mind and broadened his experience of affairs. Such enrichmeiij is part of New Zealand's heritage as a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations, and its influence can be traced in the development and matured outlook of Scddon, Ward and Masscy. Mr. Savage was fortunate, in his absence from New Zealand, to be able to place the affairs of the country in the competent but unobtrusive hands of Mr. Eraser, whose quiet good sense and sagacity have not gone unnoted by citizens. To-day, however, they will be looking to the Prime Minister for some general observations on his mission, although it may be expected that his official report will be presented first to Parliament. Let it be said in advance that Mr. Savage, in his set statements in London, has expressed the mind and heart of New Zealandei's on Empire questions worthily and well. At the opening of the Imperial Conference, in disclaiming any preoccupation with constitutional questions, Mr. Savage declared: "All that we as a Dominion ask is that our association (with the Empire), whatever its theoretical basis, should endure, that it should be made fruitful, effective and ever closer, and that the influence of the British Commonwealth should be maintained undiminished."

That was well said, with dignity and breadth and strength. It expresses admirably the spirit and purpose of the Imperial Conference. Some disappointment was expressed at its close that there was not more to show for its deliberations. Mr. Savage himself had hoped for "definite decisions" as being preferable to contentment with "an innocuous and unhelpful formula." He asserted that "conditions are such at present that we must avoid temporising." 'Yet, as the conference proceeded, he must have come to see how difficult it was to reconcile differing viewpoints arising out of different political, economic and geographical situations. The chief gains from this, as from past Imperial conferences, can be described as intangibles. As Mr. Chamberlain put it at the concluding meeting, there is no need to look for spectacular decisions, or for startling changes in policy. The conferences rather take the form of a series of family gatherings for the exchange of information and for the examination of past events and future prospects. They seek to attain a clearer understanding of particular problems and difficulties, and so to establish a general harmony of aims and of policy. In that sense, Mr. Chamberlain was able to pronounce that the latest conference had been "an unqualified success." His pronouncement is well supported by the published proceedings of the conference. Mr. Baldwin (as he then was) had stated at the opening that the essence of the British Commonwealth was the principle of cooperation, and it 'is reassuring to note in how many important spheres the conference was able to apply that principle. At the outset it was agreed that "questions of foreign affairs and defence shall be our main subjects," a decision dictated by the threatening international outlook. In these primary departments, differences undoubtedly developed, but the measure of agreement reached was striking, establishing a "general harmony of aims and policy." The first objective accepted was the preservation of peace and, more, the methods by which it should be pursued —by co-operation, joint inquiry and conciliation. Force and aggression were renounced as instruments of policy, and willingness to adopt constructive measures, such as economic appeasement, was affirmed. While the hope of disarmament was not extinguished, the delegates agreed they "were bound to adopt" appropriate measures of defence for their security. More specific and quite important was the resolution that, "being impressed with the desirability of strengthening the influence of the League of Nations by the enlargement of its membership, they united in expressing the view that this object would be facilitated by the separation of the Covenant from the Treaties of Peace." In the separate province of defence, the reports and discussions could not but be valuable. Definite commitments were avoided, but a close system of technical cooperation and standardisation was adopted, representing a real element of defensive strength. With that went the important decision to create a permanent Imperial organisation of supply, ready to operate instantly in the event of war. If the proceedings of the conference be pursued through all its other departments, a fine record of positive achievement will be discovered, and especially so in the departments of civil aviation and shipping. The virtual agreement on the Pacific shipping question in itself would justify the holding of the conference, apart from all the rest. If Mr. Savage did not force some of the "definite decisions" lie had in mind, other of the delegates also failed of their objectives, but both he and they did contrive to define many matters worth defining, and to rein- 1 force the broad foundations of understanding and goodwill on which the Empire rests secure.,