GENOA CONFERENCE.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 25 May 1922, Page 5

GENOA CONFERENCE.

DOMINION INTERESTS. LONDON, May 23. Sir Joseph Cook, interviewed, said that the Genoa Conference was in some respects incomplete, but it was not a failure, as some of its enemies proclaimed. Its incompleteness related principally to the relations of the Pewers with Russia. That difficulty arose frem the incompatibility of two fundamentally different systems of Government. M. Lenin and M. Trotsky being absent, it was necessary to refer matters to Moscow, where the atmosphere was not conducive to agreement or conciliation with the Conference. The Powers’ gains, nevertheless, were very considerable, notably the pact of peace, the proposed currency stabilisation, the proposed European co-opera-tion for the supply of credits, also the financial and economic decisions. The peace pact, unfortunately, was only temporary, but was nevertheless valuable. It was sometimes forgotten that there were 1,000,000 armed men on the Russian, borders; thqjpfore, even a pact for nine or twelve months was an important .step towards the world’s pacification. FINANCE AND ECONOMY. The Finance Commission agreed that nations should balance their Budgets without inflating the currency. On ■ both the Finance and the Economic Commissions there were crucial questions affecting Australasia. Many nations had unsuccessfully endeavoured, in their own interests, to establish an international free gold market, which was contrary to Australian interests. Several smaller European nations endeavoured to secure a regulation of exports. Had those proposals been carried Australia would have been hampered, but fortunately relaxation was secured. IMPORTANCE OF REPRESENTATION. Sir Joseph Cook concluded: * ‘My experience at Genoa emphasises the necessity for the Dominions being directly represented at these conferences. Otherwise there is a danger of questions affecting the Dominions being decided without sufficient consideration being given to the Dominions’ point of view.”

TRIBUTE TO MR LLOYD GEORGE. He referred to Mr Lloyd George’s sympathetic attitude towards the Dominions’ views, and also paid a tribute to his strenuous efforts to solve the problems of Russia and Germany and to create a better world atmosphere.