OTTAWA CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1932, Page 8

OTTAWA CONFERENCE

DOIMINIONS’ OPPORTUNITY

MR BALDWIN’S WARNING

LONDON, April 7

In an address to Jiis constituents at Worcester, Mr Stanley .Baldwin gave a warning of the far-reaching possibilities that may attend failure of the Ottawa Conference.

“We 'have already restored for good and all British prestige,” he declared, in a reference to the nation's great efforts since last August. “.Some play has been made by those who disapprove of the changes by saying tliat we have imposed a permanent system of protection on the, country I .' Nothing : -s permanent except the -folly of mankind.

"We shall not be through our troubles iu a moment,” he continued, ,“but we are heading in the right direction. There is no question about that. There is a new spirit 'of hope and confidence at home, and, what is very remarkable, this country has more than regained the old confidence that foreign countries had in us. With all our faults this is the safest and the most stabilised country in the world to-day. “Wihat we suffered from last August is not uncommon among the nations to-day. What is uncommon is the way our people faced up to 'it. Tt is that which has restored our prestige and which has enabled us to recover our position. That is the reason why foreign money, withdrawn in panic last summer, is coming back omamore into this country. To 'have got that conviction into the minds of the world is worth something, and justifie: to that ex:ent the existence of our Government to-day.”

The fiscal_system, Mr Baldwin said was going to be judged on its merits alone. They were goinst to put to tin proof whether the fiscal system upon which they were entering' was going to do that good to the country or a "oil 'on of it which they had bsMevs'’ it would do. If it did do good, the system would continue so long as it did. If it failed, the system woir'o be changed, and that was the common sense of the matter.

LARGER ECONOMIC UNIT. “The whole tendency, at least in men’s minds, is to the larger econo- iunit. That is the natural process o evolution, and it is to help that process that we are going to Ottawa in July. Ii hope that the conference wi.l j..;. the foundations of much closer economic in.on that exists to-da.y. We are really .t the cross-roads in our Imperial fiscal relations. We are bound either to go forward on the road -hat leads to o-os-er economic union, or we are bound f lake another road. “Never has a conference been ’’ in which the opportunities are greater, but in which, if those opportunitie; should not be taken, the course o:

'■vents may lead u.s all far apar:. rr natural destiny of our country is economic union with our own ;Hesh and blcod. If that cannot be accomplished it may well be we shall be driven to look towards Europe. It may well be with the parts of the Empire :hat if they do no move to the closer union among themselves, their economic interests may lead them in half a century far away from those who are now their brothers. If we all realise when we meeb in July where- the path of cooperation, I am perfectly certain

whether progress be great or small it will be progress on the only lines that ('ii n keep together the peoples of the Empire 'in the years that lie before

The National Government } Mr Baldwin. said, had made a good start. Then was not a question which was no! under .study and consideration, but the troubles we were suffering from were not altogther our own ;roubles. Tfiey were world troubles, and until the trade of the world improved we could not make much progress in this country by ourselves Low prices were caused largely by the appalling financial condition of the world. That could only be improved by cordial and intelligent co-operation on the part of the nations of the world. At Lausanne the que tion of t'epcra

dons would come up for investigation and 'review. There was to be ;• Dnvubian States conference, and the conference at Ottawa would beai d'r-ctly ,on many of tho piobloms that beset us.