WORD OR TWO FROM MR. NASH

Chronicle (Levin), 26 April 1946, Page 5

WORD OR TWO FROM MR. NASH

Received Thursday 7.0 p.m. LONDON, April 24. A jocular aside by Mr. Nash at a Press conference, snggests that New Zealand may have a popular Bndget later this year. Answering 'questions as to whether he. would visit Washington on his way back to the Dominion, Mr. Nash repiied that he doubted whether he would he able to do so. He said he might have to xeturn for the election and present the Bndget which, he said with a smile, "will win us the election." On the question of the necessity of closer Empire ties, Mr. Nash said: "We have got to find some way whereby members of the commonwealtli can come together and as far as it is possible; formulate a commonwealth policy. At the moment I should he a little scared of memhers coming together to determine what should be the road for individual counties to go. Yet I don't think there' is any possibility of our making our full contrihution and achieving our own ohjectives unless we get closer together as we are doing now. We don't want to begin a commonwealth parliament as was suggested after the last war. ' ' He added that he thought the commonwealth was trying to find some method which would be more regular and more certain than the Imperial Conferences. Thfire should, ho suggested, be more meetings with power to recommend policies to memhers of the commonwfealth, so that the constitutent parliaments could speak with oue voice on a common policy. Mr. Nash questioaed by an American correspondent on the United State3 bases in the Pacific, said; "We feelUnited. States has a future in the Pacific." New Zealand would like United States to he in the Pacific permanently but by mutual agreement. He added: "Britaih, United States Australia and New Zealand must get together in the Pacific for the sake of the things we have been fighting for." Asked about Imperial prpference, Mr. Nash endorsed the fact that New Zealand was in favour of preference "both ways". Only when New Zealand saw it would be hetter for the whole world would she agree to change that policy. ' 4 Eut at the moment we cannot see anything hetter than the preference we get in Britain and the preference we give Britain in New Zealand."