A—ll

OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR NEW ZEALAND, UNITED KINGDOM The extensive economic and political relations between New Zealand and the United Kingdom are reflected in the scale of the Office of the New Zealand High Commissioner in the United Kingdom and in the extremely wide range of its activities. Moreover, since London, unlike Canberra or Ottawa, is not only the country's governmental centre, but its commercial and financial centre as well, almost all the New Zealand Government's activities are concentrated in the one city, and many Departments of the New Zealand Government find it necessary to be represented there ; most have their offices in New Zealand House, and all come under the general policy supervision of the High Commissioner. For many years the Office worked under the strain of rigorous wartime conditions and constant danger of enemy action. The termination of hostilities at last reduced this strain, at the same time as it altered the emphasis of the work and responsibilities of the Office which had been an important agent in carrying out New Zealand's joint war effort with the United Kingdom. The Office is now able to concentrate on the more normal, but equally multifarious, peace-time activities involved in its representation of New Zealand and New Zealand interests in the United Kingdom. The continuous exchange of direct Government-to-Government information and consultation between New Zealand and the United Kingdom upon foreign and Commonwealth political and economic relations and upon defence matters naturally reduces the work of investigation and reporting, which normally is the major responsibility of an overseas post. The High Commissioner and the External Affairs Officer have, however, maintained close co-operation with the Foreign Office and the Dominions Office, and have submitted numerous and valuable. supplementary reports to the New Zealand Government interpreting various aspects of United Kingdom policy. The High Commissioner is regularly in touch with United Kingdom Ministers, both informally and through the regular meetings of British Commonwealth High Commissioners, which discuss policy matters of common concern. Considerable activity occurred as the result of visits from Ministers and officials from New Zealand for conference and other purposes and from the need for the High Commissioner's Office to make members of the staff available to attend the numerous international conferences of which London was the centre'. Chief among these were the visit to London in April of the Right Hon. W. Nash and party for the Prime Minister's Conference, and New Zealand representation at the Paris Peace Conference from July to October. Other conferences attended by the High Commissioner or members of the staff included the Hearing of Views on Germany and Austria by Deputies of Foreign Ministers in February, 1947, the final session of the League of Nations at Geneva in April, 1946, and the Conference of UNESCO at Paris in November, 1946. The Special Committee on Refugees and Displaced Persons and the Sub- ■ Commission for the Reconstruction of Devastated Areas both met in London, as, later in the year, did the Inter-governmental Committee on Refugees. Commonwealth discussions on trade were followed by the meeting of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment. Representatives from New Zealand House were also present at the fifth session of UNRRA Council, the War Crimes Commission, the United Maritime Consultative Committee, and the InterAllied Reparations Committee. As a result of discussions with the Ministry of Transport and the Shipping Companies in connection with the sponsorship of passenger traffic, which under the wartime priority system had involved the Office in much work, it was agreed that the Government would not submit priorities after the end of September and that sponsorship would cease except in the case of those already on Government lists. Applications for sponsorship are now made direct to the Shipping Companies.

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