FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 97, 21 October 1926, Page 11

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

MR. COATES ON CONFERENCE

TRIBUTE TO MR MASSEY AND SIR FRANCIS BELL.

LONDON, 20th October. Mr. Coates, asked to give his impressions of his first Imperial Conference, stated: "Though^tho Conference room painfully recalled the fact that I was present to fill the vacancy caused by Mr. Massey's death, I was proud and honoured to bo allowed to represent New Zealand in the councils of Empire. j I was inspired by the depth, sincerity,; j and affection which marked the references to Mr. Massey,'"" who was described as the Father of the Imperial Conferj ence. On taking my scat alongside Sir Francis Bell, I did not fail to remember thai Sir Francis Bell's father, jas far back as 1887, represented in the I same room tiie then colony of New Zealand at the Colonial Conference, which was one rf the earliest forerunners of the Imperial Conferences. "Mr. Baldwin's references to Mr. Massey will be received in New Zealand with the greatest appreciation. His high belief in.the destinies of the Empire, his optimism as to its future, and his firm determination to do all a man can do to further its interests still live and flourish in New Zealand. IN TRUST TOE WORLD. "Questions of the greatest importance, and some of grave difficulty, will require our consideration in the near future. In a most real sense the ■wellbeing of the British Commonwealth will depend upon the results of our deliberations. Their solution will demand the ' highest qualities of goodwill, mutual toleration, and statesmanship. We hold . in our hands a weighty trust, not only on behalf of our own people, but on behalf of the whole world. My enunciation of this principle in the New Zealand Parliament evoked no dissentient opinion in.any political quarter. "Situated, as parts of the Empire are, many thousands of miles apart, it is inevitable that without means of exchanging a thousand viewpoints, our interests tend to diverge, and the Empire to drift apart. As the resolutions of the Conference are valueless unless they represent the true feelings of the individual peoples concerned, in order that they may subsequently be translated into effective action, the Conference must before all aim at agreement. SYMPATHY WITH BRITAIN. "This is a fitting opportunity to express the sense of sympathy with the men and women of all shades of. opinion in New Zealand with regard to the struggle of the Mother Country to overcome the difficulties now confronting her. Many of Britain's financial troubles are due to her scrupulous observance of the nicest points of honour and obligation. None can doubt the capacity of the British people to triumph over obstacles. New Zealand will regard it as a privilege to assist this great country insofar as its small resources allow. Wo feel no sense of reproach for the actions of the past, but a very earnest desire to .extend our cooperation in the future. The question of the form the assistance is to take is most difficult, but I desire to give an assurance of our most sympathetic examination of any proposal." In closing, Mr. Coates emphasised his agreement with Mr. Baldwin's remarks on the subject of the war graves of the men who died fighting, not for the ideals of New Zealand alone, but for the ideals which are the heritage and pride of all as units of the Empire.