ECONOMIC SURVEY OF COMMONWEALTH

Grey River Argus, 13 October 1948, Page 5

ECONOMIC SURVEY OF COMMONWEALTH

BY SIR S. CRIPPS London Taiks Opened LONDON, Oct. 11. No. 10 Downing Street isssued the following communique on the afternoon session of the Prime Ministers’ Conference: — “The Prime Ministers' meeting this afternoon considered the ecnomic situation. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Stafford Cripps, opened the discussion with a comprehensive survey of general economic problems and Commonwealth prospects, with particular reference to the sterling area, and gave details of the British Government’s economic plans over the next four years. “The representatives of the other Commonwealth countries declared their admiration of the way in which the British people had faced their problems and achieved so large a measure of economic recovery. “Mr Attlee expressed the indebtedness of the British people to the other Commonwealth countries for the assistance they had given. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT “A general discussion followed which will be continued at a later meeting. In the course of the discussion reference was made to the need for promoting economic developmtnt in the Commonwealth as a whole and particularly the industrially less-de-veloped part of it.” The first session’s talks showed that the chief subjects for the conference will be economics, defence and the international situation, with emphasis on the Commonwealth’s part in Western Union. CONFERENCE PROGRAMME The second session of the conference will probably be held on October 13 and will be devoted to hearing the views and desires of the Commonwealth Ministers. One factor, which clearly emerged to-day, was the desire of all the Commonwealth countries to buy imports as far as possible from .the sterling areas, which, however, cannot provide all the goods that are needed. Another outstanding factor was the very clear need for capital goods in the Commonwealth among both the most developed and the least developer, areas. It was clear tha< this was a very urgent problem, and it will be' discussed in greater detail, partly Detween the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Stafford Cripps, and the Commonwealth representatives and partly at the resumed meeting on October 13.

WESTERN BIAS One of the themes, both of Sir Stafford Cripps’s statement and the discussion which followed was intercommunication between the British Commonwealth, the Western European Union and the Western hemisphere. It is understood that questions of customs unions and Imperial preference will be discussed at later meetings. The conference on October 14 will begin its review of foreign affairs, when the Foreign Minister (Mr Ernest Bevin) will open the discussion. This consideration of international problems will be continued next week. The fact that any particular subject is not on the agenda for the plenary sessions does not preclude its introduction into these sessions. COMMONWEALTH’S FUTURE Reuter’s political correspondent says that one of the subjects which, has not been scheduled for a plenary session, but which may be raised in mforma’ discussion among individual Prime Ministers, is any future modification of the present conception of the Commonwealth. The British Government, which has equal status and nothing more within the conference, has no authority whatever over the group discussions that mav be inaugurated by individual Prime Ministers. At this stage it is. therefore, impossible to say whether such matters as the remainins- differences between India and Pakistan or the question of the Indian minority in South Africa will engage attention at plenary session level.

It is the tradition of such conferences that, unlesls by the excress desire of all the delegates, no matter capable of provoking an acute general Commonwealth controversy is 'debated at a plenary session.

The heads of the Dominion delegations will dine with His Majesty tomorrow and with Mr Attlee on October 21.