BRITISH VIEWS FOR OTTAWA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 142, 18 June 1932, Page 7

BRITISH VIEWS FOR OTTAWA

SPEECHES IN THE COMMONS EMPIRE S NEED IS CLOSER ECONOMIC UNION RISE IN WHOLESALE PRICES THE OBJECTIVE PROSPERITY FIRST ESSENTIAL TO MIGRATION (Received June 17, 9.50 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. If all the Dominions were as ready for Ottawa as was Britain, the conference would not fail for want of preparation, said the Dominions Secretary, Mr. J. H. Thomas, speaking in the House of Commons to-day. “We do not view Ottawa as a sort of disarmament conference which is going on for a long time,” added Mr. Thomas. “We must be businesslike. The British Government certainly will go to the conference prepared to state its views on the whole question of currency. Mr. Thomas said that the policy of the Government was to go to Ottawa absolutely free and unfettered with an open mind, prepared to examine every question on its merits, prepared to approach problems not unmindful of their own responsibilities and obligations, but all the time keeping in mind the wider view of the situation. If they could by common agreement reconcile divergent interests and help each other, it would be a great example to the world.

Mr. Thomas said that it would be the duty of Ministers when they met their fellow Dominion statesmen, and with them represented a quarter of the population of the world, including all classes, creeds, and polities, to see how they could direct their energies to obtain more and freer trade. The difficulty would be to reconcile differing interests. They were, however, encouraged to hope by the fact that ;hey were meeting representatives of their kin with the tremendous advantage of goodwill on all sides. The first question would be as to the steps which could be usefully taken between the Dominions of mutual advantage to each other’s trade, That done covered a wide range of subjects ind raised definitely the question ot a riffs and with it the question of Imterial preference. Britain had made a rreat contribution to goodwill by its iwn action on this matter, and the British believed that their gesture would be reciprocated. , • Secondary Industries. Regarding secondary industries in lie Dominions he suggested that . here different manufactures not made in the Dominions could be nade better and more cheaply in Britain. such goods should be subjected to a process of rationalisation and agreement as between one Dominion .iml another. After trade and related matters there were monetary and financial questions which must include the whole question of currency. He thought changing world conditions and changed relationship in the British Commonwealth all justified the hope •Ind belief that there might emerge from the conference some body representing all the Dominions that would be able to be in daily contact. Referring to migration, Mr. Thomas -•aid: “The only way of assuring an outlet for our surplus population is the restoration of the Dominions’ prosperMr. Thomas said he could not state the Government’s intentions regarding meat or timber or anything else, as he was going to Ottawa with a free and unfettered mind. Taxes on Food. Sir S. Cripps contended that the House ought to be given an outline of the Government’s policy, or at least its policy on the main questions, and how far Ottawa was going to override Lausanne. They were entitled to know whether the Government was going to offer a tax on wheat and meat. Nothing was more certain to disrupt the Empire than to make the British people pay taxes on these, foods in order to subsidise the Dominion farmers with Imperial preferences. Bn-

tain could not afford to limit her markets for her specialised products. Furthermore, the Government had given no lead on the monetary question. Mr. L. S. Amery said that the essence of the world crisis was the breakdown of the international monetary and financial system. The gold standard had now collapsed and nothing was attainable at Lausanne or elsewhere to put Humpty Dumpty back on the wall in the near future, but Ottawa would enable us to right matters within the Empire. Referring to the Free State, he said there should be freedom to withdraw any preferences from those who were not fully playing the game. (Cheers). If Mr. "Chamberlain was able to announce 'at Ottawa that their definite aim was to restore the price level of 1929 in terms of sterling, he believed there would be no difficulty in arriving at an agreement satisfactory to the whole Empire. Parting of Ways. Mr. Baldwin, replying, said that Ottawa was specially important because we were at the parting of the ways. The whole economic pull of the world was in the direction of larger units. If the Dominions did not come into closer economic union with us serious dangers might come between the component parts of the Empire. The Empire was the only market in the world to which we might get preferential entrance and Colonies and Dominions were the only countries in which we might hope to see a population of British stock increasing and many of our people finding homes. His own view and the Government’s general objective was freer or reciprocal free-trade within the Empire. He would be deeply disappointed if arrangements were not concluded which would enable us to continue indefinitely the preference given in our first Import IDuties Act. The chance of a lifetime was before us; if thrown away it might never return. As regards the currency question, they had to consider at Ottawa the in-ter-relationship "of the various currencies and monetary standards ot the Empire Aith a view to promoting conditions most favourable to mutual trade intercourse. The mam * hlrl ß was to get together and understand the other’s view of the point. It ung t clear the air if he stated that we did not want the exchange value of the pound to rise, but we did _ definitely want a rise in wholesale prices. Personally, he would dread the running awav'of retail prices. We had no intention of returning to the gold standard as long as gold behaved as it was doing.