MIGRATION AFTER WAR

Southland Times, Issue 25328, 1 April 1944, Page 5

MIGRATION AFTER WAR

Britain Anxious To Have Dominions’ Views (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, March 30. Although specific will be discussed, the Associated Press understands that the forthcoming Prime Ministers’ meetings in London will be chiefly concerned with broad issues of war strategy and post-war reconstruction. The meetings will not be regarded as an Imperial Conference in the sense that it was understood before the war, but there Will be a'full exchange of views on a variety of subjects. Migration will certainly be discussed, ' and Britain is anxious to obtain the Dominions’ views. Britain, so far, has been unable to make much progress on this subject with the Dominions chiefly because they will have their own problems of re-absorbing the men and women of the forces into, civil occupations after the war, and cannot yet indicate the extent to which they will be. able to foster imigration. Britain, on the other hand, is anxious to gain some early inkling of the Dominions' policies because the period immediately after the war will be the most important. There are thousands of members of the British forces with a new awareness of the Dominions. Many are already inquiring about the possibilities of overseas settlement.

Mr E. Shinwell (Labour) asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir John' Anderson, in the House of. Commons whether the recent conference with representatives of the Dominions reviewed the currency questions and what conclusions were reached, whether they were satisfactory to the Dominions and whether Britain retained the right to conclude agreements with the Dominions if wider agreements among the United Nations should not prove possible.

Sir John Anderson replied that no commitments would be entered into until after the question had been discussed in Parliament. It would certainly be Britain’s policy to maintain monetary arrangements with India and the Dominions if wider agreements should not prove possible. It would also be Britain’s policy to maintain such arrangements within the framework of any such wider agreement.