EMPIRE TALKS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 190, 10 May 1944, Page 5

EMPIRE TALKS

Planning For World Peace EXCHANGE OF VIEWS (Official News Service.) LONDON, May 8. The second 'busy week of the Commonwealth conference sessions and private consultations was 'begun today by the Prime Minister. There is little likelihood that the pressure of work will be auy less heavy than last week, when Mr. Fraser took part in nil nine sessions in the course of five days. Since nearly every meeting lasted for more than two hours, there were over 20 hours of intensive discussion. Apart from the conference, most of Mr. Fraser’s time has been absorbed by a number of individual discussions with British Cabinet Ministers and New Zealand Government and service officials. Public and social functions have been cut down to the minimum, and the Prime Minister has combined many of his luncheon and dinner engagements with further talks on a variety of matters with which New Zealand is concerned. At the first conference today the subject of economic development was approached by the Commonwealth Prime -Ministers. The talks have thus moved from the fields of European and Pacific war strategy and past conduct of foreign affairs into one of the most important phases—post-war reconstruction and planning for world peace and world prosperity. The general subject of world reconstruction is an extremely wide one. It covers such highly important matters as the development of an international organization for collective security, an international monetary system, migration, communications, and Empire trade. It should 'be emphasized that the purpose of the conference is not that Britain and the Dominion should arrive at immediate hard and fast decisions on these or any other matters, but that it should" rather 'be a test of one another s feelings and a frank exchange of views. Though broad general agreement is likely to be reached on several subjects as is already the case as regards global war strategy—any action to be taken on the basis of such agreement is a matter for the individual Cabinets and Parliaments of the nations of the Commonwealth. Guiding Principles.

In his public statements here Mr. Fraser has given some indication of the principles that are likely to guide him when he places New Zealand s case before the other Prime Ministers in the talks this week. On post-war -plans he has made it clear that provided certain fundamental principles are adhered to he has an open mind as far as ways and means of giving effect to those principles are cnocerned. For instance, on the subject of economic collaboration after the war, he has said that there are many different lines on which this could be developed, but any monetary scheme that is likely to help all the countries to avoid the depressions which followed the last war will be welcomed and critically examined by the New Zealand Government and. Parliament. On the affiliated question of Empire trade he has said that there are also various alternative schemes under consideration, but that New Zealand would follow the broad principle, of remaining as closely linked' by trade as possible to the United Kingdom and the other Dominions. He 'believes personally that the best approach is that of the United Nations first agreeing to the principle _o± good and adequate social and industrial conditions and full employment in all countries, and then working on that in devising machinery and methods necessary to give effect to it. He has summed up his comments on world economy and- trade iby saying,. 4 ‘The greatest good for the greatest number of nations as well as the greatest number of people should Ibe-our guide.” The trend of New Zealand’ policy in these and other matters which he has so far revealed in general terms is dominated by two things—-firstly, the need for careful joint planning of post-war reconstruction, ■ and, secondly, the need for the British Commonwealth and Empire interests to be considered and decided against the background of the interests and. progress of thp world as a whole.