WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 August 1932, Page 6

WELLINGTON TOPICS

j A POSSIBLE QUTjCOME.

\ OTTAWA CO^F.ER^NCE

(From a Corresponuent)

WELLINGTON, August 10. !

One of the possible outcomes of the .Ottawa Conference, it seems, is the establishment of a ministerial repre- ; entative in London ■to safeguard the ; interests of this Dominion at’the other ’j end of the world.- The matter was j broached by the Prime Minister yesterday, but not in sufficient detail. ■ to suggest it was more'than in the air. “There may be in Imperial' ;economic rela’tidn6 after Ottawa,” Mr : Forbes suggested, “and Great Britain may feel ‘that the presentee ini London of ministerial representatives from t tile Dominions with a' closer contact, with' their Governments may he de-" sirabte.* The Minister emphasised .that he was merely speaking of something which had occurred, to him that much would depend upon .wha'(: happened at Ottawa during the next week or two. The Government,' he added, had not yet considered' the matter; but he thought it might be discussed.

REPRESENTATION IN LONDON.

The “Dominion” in' reviewing the .Prime Minister’s suggestion does not' give it any. cordial, approval. • .It recalls the faqt- that ! the question whether or not overseas Dominions.should. be represented in London by resident Ministers of Cabinet rank has been, discussed at various ( times during the last twenty years. . ‘‘The proposal calls for' careful and critical consideration,” it says. “The fact that Aus* traiia'.has addptetV.it and appointed. Mr Stanley Bruce as her first Resident Minister in London does not.necessarih 1 oblige this country to follow suit. “Canada experimented with the idea in ,1912, but dropped it . after the retirement of the first Resident Minister appointed.”' By a v.evy. logical •assessment of the facts, this authority readies the( conclusion that they .do not seem.sufficient to . justify a departure from: ,the present system of representation in, London, "’itli/ari increase of expenditure it would be extremely difficult .to assess.

OF GREATER INTEREST.

At the moment far more interest is being taken in the actual proceedings at Ottawa than in the possibility of a Vhiembdr of the Dominion’s Cabinet being located in London. Not that the cable service is supplying the public, with a great deal of definite information concerning the progress being made' in' tire Canadian centre. The cable messages, morning and evening, tell an eager • people that the Conference is “making good .headway’V that ‘“delegations are' meeting,” that ’“differences of opinion have been removed” that “mutual concessions" have bceh made”, and so on and so on, and yet the Mother Country remains practically .silent so faV'ris definite commit-, ments are concerned. Meanwhile, the cable announces that 250 British firms are displaying their goods at the Copenhagen Exhibition over ,a , floqr spape of 100,090 square feet 'and asking , for no concessions from their rivals.

THE ,WH6AT PROBLEM. , At the : beginning of the week the Cereals Committee at Ottawa, held its first meeting and its proceedings cannot fail to; be of interest to the Avheiit growers of this country. The Canady lap growers, as. was expected, presented a strorig request 'for wheqit preference; The Australian growers were not similarly concerned. They were lukewarm about the matter, being satisfied that preference would tie of no value.to them. Tlfe demand of the Canadian growers Avas not officially' disclosed; but it was. Variously reported to be from four to five per centas against the twenty or thirty cents i-ecured by iNew ' Zealand '' ? grctters. Whatever the, result of preference may be it is generally agreed that British consumers will not be Effected in view of the'Eriipire’s surplus production. It will be interesting when the ; representatives of the primary producers return to t-liis dominion to ascertain lioav much they have achieved for their employers, -