IMPERIAL AFFAIRS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17407, 4 November 1930, Page 9

IMPERIAL AFFAIRS

CONFERENCE REPORTS PENSIONS AND SHIPPING (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Received November 4. 3 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 3. The Imperial Conference recommends the governments of the British commonwealth to introduce legislation providing for reciprocal pensions throughout the Empire, and then to negotiate with each other to enable the operation of the scheme.

The cotton growing report reveals a marked increase in cotton growing within the Empire, hut little prospect of extending production unless prices improve. It recommends the maintenance of increased production and an extension of scientific investigation. The shipping; committee recommends cases where inter-imperial trade is prejudiced owing to the absence of direct services should be referred to the Imperial 'Shipping Committee. Really substantial progress is now being made with the conference, ensuring a likelihood of ending next week. There is every prospect that Wednesday will see something definite emerge. For the moment everything has a legal flavor. The speeding up of the conference work has been ingeniously attributed to the desire of the Dominion Premiers to get home to face their own troubles, hut there is another side to the story. Mr. MacDonald, apologising for his inability to attend the conference to-day and to-morrow, explained that there had been threats to move an adjournment of tlie House of Commons if lie was not present for the debate on the amendments to the Address-ih-Heply.