The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1932. CONFERENCE IMPRESSIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 November 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1932. CONFERENCE IMPRESSIONS.

One of the- impressions gained by 'a •recent visitor to London in connection v ith the delegation to the Ottawa Conference was the- recognition by Great Britain that sound secondary industries were a necessity to the .proper development of the self-govern-ing dominions. Britain’s attitude in the negotiation of -the agreements showed that she had abandoned any idea that the function of an overseas dominion was to confine itself to primary production and leave manufacturing to the Motherland. She also stressed the importance to herself of- her own primary industries and thereby set her seal upon a principle that had been strongly enunciated by the- New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation—namely, that a proper balance between primary and secondary industries was a sine qua non to true progress in a modern community and that the -one was complementary to the other. An outstanding result of the Conference was the abandonment by the United Kingdom of her “free breakfast table” policy. She stood committed to this for a period of five- years at least, and time might show that this step, coming on top o ! f her present Import Duties Act, marked the end of her general free trade policy. While no complete panacea for the Empire’s -economic ills had been discovered, the successful conclusion of -a series cf important trade agreements at a time of unprecedented -economic difficulty was in* itself no- mean achievement. It showed that a spirit of unity still existed within the Empire, and gave the lie direct to the many prognostications that failure and -a case of stalemate was inevitable"at Ottawa. Time alone could prove to what extent success had been achieved as regards- the pl’ac* tioa-1 effects of the agreements • on inter-Empire trade, but there was reason to believe that a sound foundation had been laid for the progressive consolidation of Empire interests on broader* principles than ever before conceived. The- international " effects might also be far-reaching, since a revival of trade and prosperity throughout the British Empire must have. a. stimulating effect on world commerce. In particular it was believed that emphasis had been given to the urgent necessity for worldwide concentration on ‘ problems of monetary policy, credit and exchange. The intermingling of men of all types and of all shades of opinion from the length and breadth of the Empire, and the free interchange of ideas that resulted, had surely done much to remove misunderstandings and cement Empire goodwill on a broader basis. The presence of industrial advisers and business consultants had set -a new precedent for Empire conferences and possibly laid the foundations for a wider and broader conception of the function and methods of future conference®.