MR MASSEY’S RETURN

Otago Witness, Issue 3525, 4 October 1921, Page 57

MR MASSEY’S RETURN

WELCOMED AT AUCKLAND. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS DEALT 1 WITH. (From Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, September 30. Looking the picture of health and energy the Prime Minister (Mr Massey) returned by the Niagara from his Imperial mission. He was accompanied by Mrs and Miss Massey, and his private secretaries, Messrs F. Thompson and Drew. Mrs Massey is the only member of the party whose health has I not been satisfactory, she having suffered a good deal from asthma. It inspires one with confidence again, said a man on the wharf when the vessel drew alongside, and the robust Prune Minister was seen at tho rail, and mooed that seemed to be the general feeling among the people who cheered lustily as Mr Massey came down the gangway. Notwithstanding the fact that he had been conferring on board with various Ministers, doubtless concerned with the work of Parliament upon which he will have to enter the moment he' arrives m Wellington, he came down the gangway wearing an expression of a man confident in himself, and in his country, and ve O proud of it. Without speaking a word, the strong man influence was exerted, and everyone seemed to wear a smile. No sooner had the cheers of those on the wharf ended, than the passengers called for cheers on the ship, and a ready response by those through travellers, indicated that Mr Massey had been a populai shipmate. “We like this Prime Minister of yours,” said a passenger who the appearance of a globe-trotter. He s a good fellew, well met. lie tooa part, m all the fun and games on board with a vigour surprising in a. man wno wasn t a boy yesterday or the day before. Last night when ho was leaving tho smoke room for bed, the dancers formed a ling and danced round him, and sang ‘For Tie's a Jolly Good Fellow.’” It was evident that friendly relations existed, for in response to the passengers’ cheers, Mr Massey called out: “Good-bye, all.” and gaily waved his hat as his oar moved off. Exceptional interest was shown in the visit of the Prime Minister to Honolulu, on his return journey to New Zealand, and it was apparent that the work of trie, recent Empire Conference, and the part which Mr Massey played in it, were well known there. It was the only occasion during the return journey that the Prune Minister touched American territory. AV hen the Niagara was made fast alongside the wharf at Honolulu. Lieutenant-colonel Blackman, aide-de-camp to the Governor, came aboard, and met Mr Massey officially, stating that his Excellency was away from town, hut desired that the Prime Minister and Airs and Miss Massey and members of the partv should be hi? guests ashore during the few hours the Niagara stayed there.' Motor cars were provided, and the party, who were joined by Sir John and I.ady Findlay, were driven the extensive i canning works, of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (Ltd.), which employs 2000 hands. I mostly Islanders and Japanese. After havj ing the canning process, with all its up-to-date machinery and interesting details explained, the excursion was continued to Pearl Harbour, the new naval base of the United States Pacific squadron, where the Governor had arranged for a meeting between Mr Massey and _ the admiral in charge. A brief inspection was made of the more important of the works in progress and afterwards the party were taken to the Honolulu Country Club, and entertained there at luncheon. A motor drive to Pali Heights, famous ns the. scene ot ore of (he greatest island battles ot the past, and for' the grandeur of the view of co-stline and rugged mountain beauty followered. and from there a run was made to Mean t Beach, where hundreds of Islanders were enjoving themselves in (he favourite pastime of surf-riding. Afterwards the party were driven to the Niagara, which was then almost ready to leave.

CiVIC RECEPnON.

new ZEALAND’S FINANCES. AUCKLAND. September 30. In a speech at the civic reception, Air Masse. v said the dominion’s credit among financiers at Home was higher than any other country’s, save Great Britain, and but little lower than that of Great Britain Though he did not think it would he necessary to go outside the Empire for financial assistance. Wa ! l Street financiers would be glad to lend New Zealand money at current rates. Referring to reparation intended to nt paid by Germany. Mr Massev said: “ J cannot guarantee that, it will he paid, bin the half million I spoke of~£slo.C<X> as t matter of fact-has been paid to us as t fii=T instalment of the money German; owes New Zealand, and if Germany con thiuos to pay (there are authorities whe sa--' it is impossible, and great authorities who soy it is possible, and personally think money should be forthcoming, am Ge’-many has started very well T am bourn to acknowledge) then, speaking fron memory I think for 37 years Germany wil pay one a nd a-half millions per annun to' the credit of New Zealand. Among many of the difficult aspects of tin international agreement one of the raos difficult was the Disarmament Conference at Washington. If it was going to do an: o-ood must- be an micler>tanduiQ: be tween Great Britain, America, and Japan lie did not use the term alliance, but at understanding, and if they got an under standing between these Great Powers t would go a long wav towards promotin the peace of the world for many years t come. To-day there are twenty of th most powerful engines of war —most power ful warships the world has ever knownbeing built, some of them 90 and 95 po cent completed. If we are going lo hav disarmament, are the nations owning the? shins —twelve one and eight the othergoing to scrap them? I should like t think thev would, but I doubt it. If the do not. what becomes of disarmament After the armistice Great Britain led th wav to - disarmament,. She scrapped score of "exceedingly useful ships, and had rt dueed the personnel of the British nav from over 500.000 till it was now 140.00< That proved her desire for peace, but hr desire was not followed by any other natio unfortunately, because if it had been Hiei would have been no difficulty at all. Thei > was still ft way out if things go on r 1 they are going now, said Mr Massey. The Great Britain in two or three years wi

bo the third naval Power in the world, instead of the first. For the first time in one hundred years there was not a j British wjrship on the stocks. The Imperial j Conference had approved of provision for four up-to-date warships as a work of ; necessity, became they oou.d not afford to lake an\ risks. Our very exist- | euce, he said, as a Pritisn nation, the , existence of Australia as a British nation, depends upon the Kmpire being able *o protect us in time of neeosHTv. Ibe ships j would be British Kmpire slops. “ Please understand,” send the Prune Minister, “that the finance of no country , of the Kmpire is being interfered with by anything- that took place in London, j nor will it be interfered w ith.” Many matters of importance were dealt '.vi l l l by Mr Massey in England, including j the £5,000,000 lean, and finance generally, j wool markets, and future prospects, the i present position of the markets for New j Zealand (u) moat, (b) dairy pioduc-e, and i future prospects, this subject including j freight and ha.mil.ng charges on all descrip- i toons of produce; ironsand vests, Gorman reparation money, New Zealand’s share; readjustment. of affairs at Nauru ; the question of delays in the unloading of New Zealand’s steamers; dominion trade with Bristol ; naval matters, immigration, pub- ! lieity in the United Kingdom and abroad, i war memorials in France and Gallipoli, the ] latest housing schemes, securing of information regarding lifeboats, as requested by the Shipowners’ Association; the Imperial Institute, the proposed Empire Exhibition and obtaining a date in regard to supplies of light railway material. The Conference which has just been held, said Mr Massey in an interview, was undoubtedly the mo e t important that has vet taken place. He quoted Mr Lloyd George 3 speech at the closing of the Conference that there was no material difference whether the meetings were called meetings of Cabinet or a Conference; in fact, the Conference acted as a Cabinet, and the decisions taken had been the decisions the Cabinet, would have taken. Mr Massey’s own opinion, expressed in an interview m the London Times, were that the dominions are now partners in the Empire, with all the privileges and responsibilities which attach to pat triers, so that it is not unreasonable to claim that, what, has happened during the past two months has been, from live po’nt of view cf constitutional procedure, the beginning of a new era, so far as the Empire a.s a whole is concerned. In Mr Massey s opinion what was done at the Conference had rendered unnecessary the so-called Constitutional Conference, which it was proposed to hold next year. In his opinion, and in the opinion of Ministers who were present, no written < oiistitulion was required. It was simply intended to make amendments from time to time as changing circumstances might render them necessary. In regard to the foreign policy of the Empire Mr Massey said overseas Prime Minister’s were taken into the fullest confidence of the British Ministers. the work of the conference. (From Oub own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND, September 30. “ The Conference of Prime Ministers which has just been held,” said Mr Massey, in the course of an interview “was undoubtedly the most important that has yet taken place.” He had said so in numerous interviews in London and Canada. It "a.-> impossible for him now to go into Ihe details of the work that had been done but lie would take an early opportunity ot addressing Parliament upon the subject and of dealing fully with various phases of the discussions and resolution. Meanwhile he hone cl tha t copies of Ihe official report, v\ men comprised 27 pages of printed matter would shortly be to hand, and be available lot those'interested. “I will emphasise what J have already said about the importance of the Conference, and the advance whicl. has been made in Empire affairs, ’ said the i Prime Minister, “bv quoting from a speeci. by Mr Lloyd George, which was deliverec: i at the close of the Conference. Mr Lloyc ’ George said that in the last two year; - of the war the Prime Ministers ot tnc Empire had come over and conferred witl the Home Government, and as a resur decisions had been reached on which essen tial action had been taken. Ihe Liiti.Prime Minister went on to trace what hat been done at the Peace Conference and the part plaved there by the dominion repre sentatives, reported officially as follows: r ■‘He (Mr Lloyd George) claimed uiat_ there j was in fact lio material difference wnethe v the meetings were termed meeting, ot > 1 Cabinet or of a conference” (Mr Masse; interjected that in effect wliat Mr Lloyi - George said was that although this wa 1 termed a Conference it acted as a Cabinet e “Air Llovd George replied in trie athrumt ■- j v e The decisions taken had been decision that Cabinet, would take. Cabinet was o consultative body, and a body of 1 11 V I Councillors whom the Prime Minister c ,t the day chose to summon, constat Liter a a Cabinet. It did not really matter wha a the bod,’ was called for the present contei y encc had carried the weight of a Cabinet 1- Moreover, everything that, was decided her o was reported to the King. ’ “Those remarks by the British Prim , Minister,” continued Mr Massey, “shorn I sufficiently indicate the importance of rh ( late Conference, and the de\el°i T! nicnt in Empire Government %yhicii has marked. Referring to this pou II myself. In an interview which the Londo Tunes obtained from me before I left En* “v land and which expressed my own opinioi 3t J said in dealing with matters which wei ’ e brought up at the recent conference c y cabinet, overseas Ministers. were acting u 2- to the change of status which resulted froi :1 - the war That is to say, the dominions at n now partners in the Empire, with all th r- privileges and responsibilities which attac it to partners, so that it is not unreasonabl 'ft to claim that what has happened duriii to tjie past two months has been, from ti in point of view of constitutional proeedur r- the beginning of a. new era so far as th Empire as a whole is concerned.” »r 1,, Mr Masse vs opinion what was dor ;e a t t he conference had rendered unnece s<’ sary the so-called Constitutional Con-fe ene'e. which it was proposed to iiold tie: to year. Iu his opinion, and in the opinir sy of the Ministers who were _ present, i t? written consultation was required. It vile simply intended to make amendments fro es time to time as changing circiunslane e- might render necessary and allow, a.s lent) ,’y eon puts it, our present constitution, “ C. broaden down from precedent to precedent er In regard to the formation policy of t.l in Empire, Mr Massey said that the overse re Prime Ministers were taken into the fulls ro confidence of the British Ministers. “V ns dealt with the Anglo Japanese Treaty,” cm said, “although it has to he admitted th ill further action was rendered unneccssarv

present, by Uie decision of the Lord Chancellor anti the other lay officers of the Crown. It, was the same in regard to the troubles in Silesia and the Egyptian diifieuities. In fact, the foreign poiiey of the Empire in its whole range was laid down before us.”