IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 413, 3 November 1930, Page 8

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES DEVELOPMENT OF EMPIRE OIL 1 British Official Wireless]. RUGBY, Oct. 31. The heads of the delegations to the Imperial Conference had two meetings to-day at which inter-imperial consti tutional questions were considered. At the morning meeting they had be fore them the report of the drafting subcommittee of Lord Sankey’s InterImperial Relations committee, who had insufficient time to review and put the draft report into final form for to-day’s meeting of the heads. The sections drafted were therefore sent on for the information of the heads of the delegations, accompanied by a request for further time for their consideration by the .Sankey Committee. The discussion, however, showed that the overseas delegates were eager to complete the work of the Conference as early as possible, and General Hertzog bad provisionally booked his passage to South Africa for next Friday. In view of the amount, of work which still remains he has postponed his sailing, but the heads of of the delegations considered means by which the business could be speeded up. At the close of this afternoon’s meeting of the heads it was announced that consideration of the report of the subcommittee of the Sankey Committee wa»s continued. Some sections were referred back to the main committee for completion of their consideration. Other sections were reserved for immediate consideration by the heads, who will meet again on Monday morning. The most important section of the draft report, which has been referred back for committee consideration, deals with the recommendations in last year’s report on the operation of Dominion legislation. The sections reserved for immediate consideration by the heads include those dealing with the proposed Commonwealth tribunal, channels of communication between the Dominions and foreign Powers, merchant shipping Acts, nationality, the system of communication and consolation between the different parts of the Empire in relation to foreign affairs, the form of commercial treaties, and questions affecting Governors-GeneraL It is hoped that by this division of the work considerable time will be saved. Other committees of the Conference continue to make good progress with their reports. The terms of the report of the Arbitration and Disarmament Committee were settled to-day, and it has gone forward to the head., of the delegations. Economic Committee.

The General Economic Committee, to which some 16 questions were referred, have completed several reports. One of these questions is that, of what steps might be taken to reduce the Empire’s dependence on foreign sources of supply of petrol. Three lines upon which they might proceed were considered — (1) The larger proportion of Empire requirements might be refined within the Empire; (2) increased production of oil and coal; (3) the development °f geophysical methods of prospecting for minerals and oil deposits. NEW ZEALAND DELEGATES A BANKER’S LUNCHEON. LONDON, Oct. 31. The Kt. Hou. G. W. Forbes and Sir Thomas Sidey were entertained at luncheon by the London Board of the Bank of New Zealand directors. Those present included Brigadier-General Lubbock (chairman), Lord Jellicoe. and Sir Bomber Reeves.