SIX BUSY YEARS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1926, Page 4

SIX BUSY YEARS

Silt JAMES ALEKN’S TERM

WELLINGTON, Sept. 15. On the eve of giving up the High Commissionship, Sir James Allen drew up a report to the Government, in which he has written: “As my second term of office as *<=• l Commissioner will expire on the 31st. of this month, I consider it oil)} appio priate that I should submit to you a report on the work of my department. The six years have been full of interest, not only in tho growth of tnc office work owing to increasing responsibilities, but also in the evolutionary development ol the duties, status, am privileges of the High Commissioner “The connexion between the London ofli-.e and New Zealand is closer to* dav than it ever was before, but there is still much to be done to improve the connexion, and to do justice to t iosc who serve the State, whcthei it ,L in New Zealand or in London.

, THE STAFF. “it must not be forgotten that the staff of the London office is large.! recruited by the employment of cadets, who look forward to promotion as they grow in age and experience. This natural hope and ambition would be stilled if tlie avenue to the high posts in office were closed by the appointment to such posts of mem hers of the civil service in New Zealand. It is

very necessary, however, that the London office should include on its staff a sufficient number of those who know New Zealand. This latter condition has been met mostly bv tho appointment of New Zealanders, and partly by sending to New Zealand those who are destined for the higher posts in London. To deal with the two problems it is. on my judgment, necessary to as-

sociate ino staff recruited in London much more closely with the Now Zealand civil service. AN ith this object in view. I recommended in February, 1925, that the civil service in New Zealand should arrange to receive some members of the Loudon staff lor a pciiod, or continuously, and that London should reciprocate. Tf this recommendation is approved, it would lead to a civil .service ol New Zealand, composed of the mailt branch yi New Zealand, under the Public. Service Commissioner, and another branch in London, under the High Commissioner.

“The responsibility of the High Commissioner is not to tho office alone. He has other duties to perform for his Dominion of a varied nature, and increasing importance, which bring him into touch with activities which are not con lined to Great Britain or the Empire, hut which extend to International affairs. I propose to enumerate some of these.

TEAGUE OF NATIONS. “I have had the honour of representing New Zealand at every Assembly from tho inception of the League, including the special Assembly, which met in March last, to consider the admission of Germany. There have been several such meetings, and except for the year 1922. when Sir Francis 801 l and Sir A. S. Maitland were present a s delegates, I have been tho sole delegate—hot hv any means an easy task, but rendered possible by the ability and loyal labour of my personal staff, and by the assistance of Air Gray in 1925. It has also been my duty to attend meetings of the Mandates Commission of the League at least once a yonr. “]n 1921 the Assembly decided to appoint a Commission of control to supeivise the linances of the League, io

this Commission I was appointed by the Council of the League, and I was privileged to he present at the early slages of the work, when the financial regulations were formulated, and the general supervision of finances, was plated mi a satisfactory basis. IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

•‘The Assembly of the League of Nations having decided to investigate the possible reduction and limitation of armaments, the British Government deemed it necessary to make prolimin-.,,-v enquiries. Accordingly a siib-com-niitt.ee was appointed, and I lie Dominion were invited to send .repiescntntives. 1 have attended nearly all the meetings, and I am satisfied that Dominion representation was desirable. Indeed. I do not see how a committee of this kind can do its work properly without having amongst its members those who are familiar with oversea conditions, 'flic Committee’s meetings arc private, and therefore one cannot deal with its deliberations, except to say that there is evidently a desire to further a scheme of disarmament without sacrificing the safety ol the Em-

pire. IMPERIAL WAR. GRAVES COMMISSION.

‘•This Commission, with its Royal Charter, is a most advanced type of Imperial organisation, on which the various partners of the great Commonwealth of Nations are represented, and to which eacli contributes its quota of the necessary revenue. It has boon, a

pleasure to me to represent my country on this Commission, and as a momtier of its Finance Committee to assist in this great Kmpire work. Reports have been sent regularly to New Zealand. It is not necessary for me. therefore, to make any further coniine n’t.

THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE. ‘‘One result of the Imperial Conference of 1023 was a report on the Imperial Institute, which recommended that the Institute should he rcorgan- • jsccl. l’art of the reorganisation, suppurled by a majority, included the abandonment of the public galleries. I was one of those who signed a minority report, which favoured continuance of the galleries, as a means of education of the general public, and especially voting people, woo, viewing as they might in the galleries exhibits of the vast potentialities of the resources of the whole Empire, arranged conveniently under one roof, would be led to a fuller conception of the widespread nature of the parts, tlie interdependence of each on the other, and the possiI ilitios of the future. Fortunately the generous gift of £-5000 a year for five years, made by Lord Cowdray. lias saved the public galleries. There can bo little doubt that the Institute when it reopens in September next, will prove its value for the purposes indicated, and l hone that it will, before long, become even more useful as a general clearing house, to which any part of the Empire may apply for information, including research work, within and outside the Empire.” KMPIRE MARKETING BOARD. Alluding to the Imperial Economic Committee, lie says:—“As the result of the Committee’s work the Secretary of State for the Dominions lias instituted an Empire Marketing Board, on which New Zealand is represented, and which has to deal with the expenditure of £1.000.000 a year to be spent by the British Government in the encouragement of inter-Empire trade, including publicity and research. Occasionally the High Commissioner lias had the privilege of meeting the British Prime Minister. the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and once a week the Secretary of State for the Dominions. Reports of those interviews are sent to the Prime Minister. “The secretarial section of the High Commissioner’s office deals with diplomatic, educational, and military and

naval matters—duties so varied and ] numerous that it is impracticable to enumerate them all. The finance section deals with all matters in London connected with the New Zealand Government’s finances, including the rais- f ing of public leans and advances to £ the best advantage, tlie transfer of ~ moneys to and from New Zealand, the receipt of all moneys for the Public Account and Subsidiary Accounts, and - all the various payments in London, in- ( eluding tlie payment of interest on . loans, and for all material purchased on behalf of the Government Departments, etc. MIGRATION. “The work of the immigration section is probably more homogeneous than that of any other section. The office work 'falls naturally under three main divisions: —(1) the answering of enquiries, both written and personal, from persons thinking of proceeding to Nciv Zealand, whether as assisted passengers or otherwise; (2) careful investigation of aIJ cases where would-be migrants have been actually nominated for'assisted passages, or have made formal application for such passages under one of the schemes under which nomination is not essential; (3) tho arranging of passages for those whose applications for assistance are. approved.” The outline of the work done m connexion with immigration shows the tremendous volume of labour involved. Tho wide activities of the publicity section arc described in detail. Sir James Allen concludes by stating that the increase in the duties of the High Commissioner and his office has been more than collateral with the growth of the Dominion, due to tho constant succession and ever increasing volume of important work entrusted to the department by all branches of the Government Service, and a greater share taken by the Dominion since the 1 war in Empire anil international affairs. I ——nmm