PRIME MINISTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1924, Page 6

PRIME MINISTER.

VISIT TO COMMONWEALTH. PROBABLE AFTER THE SESSION. INTERCHANGE OF VALUE. For the past two years there have been frequent invitations to Mr. Massey ■to visit Australia. Mr. Massey has met the Commonwealth Prime Ministers many times at the Imperial Conferences in London during his twelve years’ service as head of the New Zealand Government, nut he has never visited Australia. Prominent Australian poMt'icdans, including State. Premiers and members of Parliament who have visited New Zealand, have expressed the opinion that a visit from Mr. Massey would go far towards cementing the ties of kinship bet’wean the two communities. “Yes, 1 .hope to be able to accept the invitation,” said Mr. Massey when questioned on the matter at the week-end. Asked if he could indicate, any possible date for his visit to the Commonwealth, Mt Massey said that his future movements were in the hands of Parliament. His duties were, he said, increasing in volume each passing year, and he felt that it would be very difficult for him to be away from New Zealand, excepting at such urgent calls as those of the Imperial Conference. Still, lie felt that an exchange of visits at intervals be tween the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Australia would enable the heads of the two Governments to come into closer contact with problems of mutual interest than the exchange of cablegrams and official despatches could give them. As time went on, .the increasing importance of the Pacific in world affairs made it more essential for a better and closer understanding between the two peoples. Although Mr. Massey has no definite plan in mind as to the date of his visit to Australia, it is believed that the most o] portune and convenient time, having consideration for his official duties in New Zealand, might be about the end of the present year, or the first month or so of th* New Year

In a statement made at 5V 7 ellington yesterday Mr. Massey said he is unable to see how he can get away for such a purpose for some time to come.