Empire’s Task

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1038, 31 July 1930, Page 11

Empire’s Task

PROBLEMS FOR CONFERENCE Tariffs High on Agenda PRIME MINISTER’S PLEA FOR UNITY UNPRECEDENTED Empire problems will face delegates to the Imperial Conference which is shortly to sit in London. The agenda has been arranged, showing that trade and economic questions, inter-Empire relations and foreign policy and defence will be encompassed by the discussions. Tariffs will occupy a prominent place, and research and transport problems also are listed.

United P.A.—By Tele £ • h—Copyright Reed. 10.55 a.m. LONDON, Wed. The Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, announced that the main heads of the Imperial Conference agenda will be: (1) Inter-Imperial relations. (2) Foreign Policy and Defence. (3) Economic questions. Concerning economic questions the main heads include: First Empire Trade, including capital investments, the establishment of branch industries, the effect of successive tariff changes, the extent and effect of inter-imperial tariff, preferences and also other factors, such as cartels. Secondly they include bulk purchases and price standardisation, thirdly overseas settlement, fourthly co-operation In research, and fifthly experts’ investigation into transport communications, including steamship services! In the course of a speech at the annual meeting of the United Kingdom branch of the Empire Parlia mentary Association, the Prime Minister, Mr. MacDonald, said the comingimperial Conference would have to face unprecedented constitutional problems.

“Wo have to make up our minds that, life has changed in the Empire,” continued Mr. MacDonald. “As individuals, we cannot live in the past, and must not be too eager or imagine we are living in the future, but must combine both. Surely the time has come when we should think and act more as an ’all-party,’ eliminating the conception that when one party is in power no other party exists. “An attempt should he made to have Imperial questions considered in the first place by all the parties, remembering that the nations of the commonwealth are very much greater than party.” “OLD MAN DOMINION” Mr. J. H. Thomas, Secretary r State for the Dominions, referred to a remark made by Mr. Baldwin, likening the relations between Britain and the Dominions to that between, sons and father. Ho said the opinion of “the old man” might sometimes be considered. He intended to ask whether the time had come to consider giving the Old Country Dominion status. (Laughter.) The annual report of the branch explained that elections overseas had largely prevented a delegation going abroad in 1930, and the Imperial, Naval, and Press Conferences had prevented a meeting being held in London.