Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1923, Page 2

Convincing the debate above ro!erred to. Mr T. M. AVilford said that though ho might not agree with all the sentiments and opinions expressed by the Prime Minister, the iirst thing to be noted was that the Conference was not one of Governments, hut of Prime Ministers of different pat t s of the Empire. It* was not only a talk round the table, but was designed to furnish the British Government with the Dominions' ideas on questions of foreign pi 1 icy. which arise from time to time. The Prime .Minister had the light to criticise any question of lorcigu p<b | and on the subject of treaties he ought to insist that any secret treaty Was a breach of trust. In the new Constitution granted to Ireland, it was explicitly stated that Ireland had the right to stand out of Empire wars, and other Dominions had taken up the position that they were not hound by any resolutions passed at tin* Conlerenee until approved by their respective Parliaments, so that in passing the motion moved, hv the Prime* Minister they were only falling into line with constitutional practice. We there loro had a right, to have a say in foreign policy, because all foreign policy touched Great Britain, and, in doing that, touched us. We might stand out of wars' if we lived, hut he agreed with Mr Massey that we should not stand out. The Empire was a family held together not by a signed and sealed contract, hut by ties of race, and he agreed with Lord Birkenhead when In* said the only way to get nut the Empire was to light a way out. So far as the Washington Treaty was concerned, we were up in the air. Localise it. had not liven fully ratified. Ihe tonus offered by the Allies to Russia regarding the payment of debts were reasonable and should he insisted on. lie did not suppose we would play much of a. part* in the matter of German leparations. Frame had gone

into the Ruhr, and could not he gol out. lie Imped the whole problem would he referred to the l-oague of Nation-, which he looked upon as 0 sort of John the Rapti.-t going out into the wilderness of world affairs to prepare the way. Australia stood more 111 need of defence than New Zealand, but we all recognised tile need of the British Navy, which must lie maintained for Ibe safety not only of the outposts of the Empire, out* id all the important trade routes. What the Empire needed more than anything el.-e to-day v-c- unity of polie.v. Ti.e Piime Minister would not light f*r us alone, lait for us with all the other Dominions in securing unity of policy for the Empire. We would have to he very caieiii! tegarding wirele-s, hut he did not. agree with Mr Ma-.-cy that three was no possibility of wireless ever entirely Mi] ersedilig cables. A wholes*, cha'll for 1 lie Empire "as what was required and what the Prime Minister should work for. We should support the naval base ai .Singapore. Imperial preference, economic trades preference within the Empire and Russian trade should he left to the Prime Minister to decide on the spot. The \ ctsaillos Treaty might be modified to bring it more into toueit economically with modern thought, hut not* so far as national adjustments were concerned.