LONDON IMPRESSION OF MR. SAVAGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 113, 29 May 1937, Page 5

LONDON IMPRESSION OF MR. SAVAGE

Air Mail — Own Oorrespondent.)

Believes Production Question Has Boen Solved "MILD INDIVInUAL,,

IBv

' LONDON, May 5. There arrived in London yesterday one of the most interesting of all the Coronation visitors — Mr M. J. Savage Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand (writes Ernest Jay in the Daily Herald, the London Labqur paper). He has' come to the Coronation and the Empire Conference with a new ideal of the meaning of Empire. Since he became Prime Minister in November, 1935, he has 6hown that he is not only an idealist, but a greab practical statesman. His life story is one of hard experience. Barn on a. farm in Australia, he graduated in a hard school— shop worker, miner, navvy — then in New Zealand for 3Q years he agitated, hecame. secretary, then leader of the New1 Zealand Labour Party. "I have known hiardship and starvation," he told me, "and I intend to use every means I can to see. that those who have trusted me shall not suffer the. same experience," He belieYes that the question of production has been solyed. "Our job is to increase the buying power of the people, and that is what we are doing ia New Zealand. Our Yiew is that wag/es, representing the buying power of the people, must be first charge on industry. The Government is making the necessary adjustments to ensure that they are reasonably high. Britain is our best customer. We want closer ties of mutual trade, That is a matter of common sense." Dealing jvith an organised campaign in London to depreciate |\Tew Zealand credits, he declared his Government has monetary reserves overseas in excess of its requirements. "And," he added, "it has kept, and will always keep, every monetary commitment made by the present or any past Government. "I am quite a mild sort of individual; I do not go round carrying dynamite with me," said Mr Savage when qsked whether New Zealand "still proposed". to, pay lower rates of interes on Lpndon loaps. "For one thing," hfe said, "we could not do that if we wished. "1 was askqd in one of the corridors of Government House what plans the . Government had in mind on this subjept," Mr Savage added, "and I replied, using an Australian football term, that Mr Nash would 'bounce the ball' when he got to England. I was surprised to know of tl?e publicity which that remapk regeivpd in the British newspapers, In Australia they always hounce the ball to start the game, and I was using the term in the sense that Mr Nash would begin the negotiations on arrival in London. New Zealand will pay her debts, and meet her qbligations. We will meet our respousibilities whatever they are."