AFFAIRS OF EMPIRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19952, 20 November 1926, Page 13

AFFAIRS OF EMPIRE

INTER-IMPERIAL RELATIONS.

AN AGREEMENT REACHED.

MIGRATION POLICY DEFINED. (Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, November 18. (Received Nov. 19, at 5.5 p.m.) Dinner engagements—even in the fifth week of the conference they are legion—went by the board to-night while the Prime Ministers finally wrestled with the two major allied questions of inter-im-perial relations and treaty obligations, and it was not till 7.45, after sitting for three hours at the Foreign Office, that they sorted out all the viewpoints and agreed to their report, which may be presented to the conference to-morrow.

Though previously the two subjects have been handled by separate committees they have been merged into one report, with a resolution which it is understood will contain a broad general declaration which all the. dominions can feel gives them a little more elbow-room and conduces to a better understanding. The Migration Committee at 10.30 tomorrow will submit to the conference a voluminous report—largely a review of the achievements and disappointments of the last three years. There are long chapters devoted to rural housing, rural credits, the absorption of ex-servicemcn from Britain and India, land settlement, and the extention of social insurance, but the resolution will be couched in general terms, recognising the impossibility of any mass, movement from Britain, and urging adherence to the existing policy with an immediate investigation of the possibilities of its elaboration. It is understood that the Prime Ministers this afternoon will also discuss the international aspects of migration. It is agreed that there should be a strong Empire attitude to ensure each dominion keeping its own immigration in its own hands, no matter what attempts may be made at Geneva or elsewhere to create an international organisation.

The Imperial Communications Committee further examined Sir James Connolly in reference to the fast ship scheme. There will be two plenary sessions tomorrow, and one on Monday, when it is hoped to make a considerable clearance of the subjects and ensure the conclusion of the labours of the conference on Tuesday.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

FORESTRY AND SETTLEMENT.

APPROVAL BY JOINT SCHEME,

LONDON, November 18.

The Forestry Sub-committee’s report suggests the development of settlement schemes in connection with afforestation, which was noted in a recent effective Empire organisation. The sub-commit-tcc welcomes the Australasian Government’s invitation to hold the third Forestry Conference there in 1928, and recommends active preparation for, and participation in the conference by the Governments of the Empire. The sub-com-mittee referred the constitution of the Empire Forestry Bureau to the conference.

Mr R. W. Gepps (Australia), in an appendix to the report, emphasised the importance of the continuous production of timber, and drew attention to the possibilities of settling forest workers on agricultural land, sufficient to occupy them when silvicultural work slackened. He urged the classification of forest and agricultural lands, the management of forests for continuance of production, the proper distribution of planting and thinning, the selection of suitable men, and reasonable equipment for holdings.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

STATE TRADING CONCERNS,

THE QUESTION OF TAXATION,

'LONDON, November 18,

The Economic Sub-committee, dealing with the uniform taxation of enterprises of foreign Governments, quoted the announcement of the Australian and New Zealand delegates that their Governments accepted the principle of taxation of Government trading enterprises, the existing law providing sufficient authority for the necessary assessments. The Commonwealth Government, however, i.j unable to bind* the States. The sub-committce considered that the measure of interImpcrial agreement warranted negotiating with foreign Governments, with a view to concluding reciprocal agreements for the mutual taxation of their trading enterprises. Regarding the taxation of non-resident traders, the Economic Sub-committee reported that it was desirable to divide manufacturing and merchanting profits, restricting the income tax charges in the country of sale to the merchanting profit. The same committee, dealing with Mr Bruce’s suggestion for surveys of Empire trade, stressed the advantages of such surveys. It reviewed the existing publications on the subject, and urged that each survey should deal with one trade, or group of allied trades, as concisely as possible, systematically condensing the report and avoiding duplication of effort. This will probably necessitate the creation of a statistical conference. —A. and N.Z. Cable. MR COATES’S ITINERARY. RECIPIENT OF MANY HONOURS. LONDON, November 19. (Received Nov. 20, at 0.30 a.m.) Mr Coates is leaving London on November 23. He receives the Freedom of Edinburgh and an honorary university degree on November 24 ; attends a municipal reception and university dinner, and inspects the North British Locomotive Works and Messrs Beardmore and Arol’s works at Glasgow on November 25; returns to London on November 26; receives the Freedom of Stoke-on-Trent and inspects the potteries on November 29; receives the Freedom of Sheffield and visits Messrs Brown and Bailey’s, Vickers, and Hadfield’s works on November 30; and visits the Kidderminster carpet factories on December 1. Later, he will tour the New Zealand battlefields in France.— A. and N.Z. Cable.