DEFENCE ZONE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 191, 11 May 1944, Page 5

DEFENCE ZONE

Pacific Dominions’ Plan

POST-WAR SECURITY (By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright.) LONDON, May 9.

The Australian-New Zealand plan for a regional defence zone comiprisiug the South-west and South Pacific may be adopted as a pattern for an Empirewide system of post-war security, us the result of today’s discussions by the Dominion Prime Ministers’ Conference, which is at present giving attention to the military aspects of Mr. Eden’s political plans for maintaining peace. It is believed that Mr. Curtin emphasized that Australia is anxious to enter immediately into a British Coimmonweahth or an international agreement for policing the islands north of Australia. The Dominion Prime Ministers attended a meeting of War Cabinet today, thus being enabled to hear the latest information about the progress of the war in all theatres and take a share m the responsibility for planning and conducting day to day operations. Meetings of the Dominions Conference were . held at No. 10 Downing Street in the morning and the evening, when Mr. Churchill and the Dominion Prime Ministers continued their examination of the Empire’s postwar defence problems, including world security, the prevention of aggression, and the preservation of peace. The fate of Mr. Curtin’s plan for an Empire secretariat, which is the most widely publicized of all the subjects before the conference, is likely to be settled in the next day or two, when the Prime Ministers proceed from the study of defence co-operation within the Empire to reconstitution of the machinery of consultatiou.

The remaining sessions are likely to be taken up with discussion on migration, which will be linked with post-war employment plans, the improvement of colonial administration, and Imperial communications, which will include civil aviation and shipping. Mr. Curtin has already prepared a clear-cut policy based ou the doctrine of trusteeship under which he proposes establishng a South Seas Regional Commission, representing Australia, New Zealand, Britain, America, and possibly the French Committee of Liberation.

Economic policy in relation to countries outside the Empire has been the subject of some of the longest discussions between the Prime Ministers, who again called in the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir John Anderson, at the beginning of today’s sitting. The conference is expected to conclude on May 15. Mr. J. Curtin announced today that he formally invited Mr. Winston Churchill to visit Australia. Mr. Churchill replied: “I have long been looking forward to visiting Australia, aud I hope to be able to do so, but everything must wait on events.” Mr. Curtin called on the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at their London home today and discussed plans for them taking up their residence at Canberra. Mr. Curtin said afterward that the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester would probably leave for Australia toward the end of the year. Both were obviously looking forward to their stay in Australia.