NEW ZEALAND'S INTERESTS IN THE PACIFIC

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 190, 1 May 1918, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND'S INTERESTS IN THE PACIFIC

MB. WILFORD RECOMMENDS JOINT ACTION. By Tclccraiih—Press Association. Auckland, April ty. • Deferring to Hie cable message mailing reference to suggested joint action by Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, relative to their interests in the Pacific, the Hon. T. M. Wilford said: "I believe the recommendation -n:ade of joint action between Australia and New Zealand in relation to their vital interests in the Pacific is a valuable one, ami when Australia nolds out her hand I am sure New Zealand will grasp it firmly. 'When New Zealand's representatives reach Great Britain they will unquestionably make the strongest and fullest representations on this question, but I feel sure that if a joint understanding could be arrived at) on the many difficult problems confronting us as Britishcommunities in reference to these islands, and our xepresentalives could, while in England, be furnished with the conolusio'ns arrived at, the force of their representations would not lose impetus thereby. One or , the great problems of the Pacific is indentured labour, many of those indentures having run out recently. Tho "Times of India" places the Tndian side of the question clearly before those who cMofully vend the wellweighed utterances reported_ there. My own personal opinion, which is, of course, not expressing tho opinion of the Cabinet as a whole, is that we should not delay in joining wilii Australia in any move likely to advance tho safety of this Dominion and Australia in the Pacific, especially with relation to the interests of the whole great Empire of which wo aro the outposts."