WORLD CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 30 June 1933, Page 5

WORLD CONFERENCE

NO RESULT YET DISAPPOINTMENT EXPRESSED. (United Press Association—By Telegraph— Copyright.) . LONDON, June 28. When Mr MacDonald declaimed at the Pilgrims'* dinner, “We 1 dare not fail/’ critics sensed a tinge of disappointment, that the Conference has yet achieved. nothing concrete, an began wondering what to-night’s meeting of the Bureau would produce to give a fillip to the proceedings. The irresistible impression remains that the main dead weight on progress is American determination to condition everything to her. internal efforts at -re-organisation. From the French angle still come predictions that the Conference is already a failure. France is alarmed

at the prospect that Holland may be

forced off gold, in which event M. Bonnet is credited with saying there will then be a real crisis demanding a fresh attempt at stabilisation, (regard* ing which special interest is attached to Mr Fraser’s gold standard policy, Mr Fraser said he wished to expe* dite the return to the gold .standard and remedy the waste in the errors of the working thereof. Difficulties face the Cuban attempt to get ten years’ truce on eugar production. Britain intimated that limitation of the Crown colonies production was unacceptable, though she was willing to limit the production of the home-grown subsidised sugar. A subcommittee wa& appointed to consider the matter, on which New Zealand is represented. In the sugar sub-commission of the World Conference, the Colonial Secretary, 'Sir Pi Cunliffe-List-er supported the main object of the Cuban proposal that a working committee ' should examine the whole subject of international limitations. He resisted a proposal that construction of new factories should be forbidden, and said there were administrative 5 and ' legislative dimculties in the tariff proposals in! the Cuban, plan. The Cubafi delegates said the reservations destroyed the plan but Sir P. Cunliffe-Lister declared a readiness to co-operate'heartily in its prime objects. ' ■' A committee of 22 countries was appointed. ”" ' *' * ' The general conventions and multilateral agreements to effect' tariff modifications, instead of bi-lateral agreements, were advocated by delegates of Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands in the commercial policy sub-coiniiiis-feifill of tlifi World Conference," Prolongation of the tariff .truce alid a return to the widest possible measures of free trade were urged by the Japanese delegates. There was a meeting of the Conference Bureau this evening, from which much mas expected, but it brought no disclosures beyond a statement that the Bureau had agreed that the conclusions of the Economic Commission will be subject to the realisation of an agreement on monetary stabilisation. This condition was imposed by th© speakers during the debates. Mr Avenol reported on the present position regarding the questions discussed. Mr Ramsay MacDonald said lie thought, that the Bureau would agree that appreciable progress bad been made.

The meeting lasted for only forty minutes, and it was strictly private. Professor Moley had a long busy day. He held many conversations with the American delegation .and in the afternoon he again met the British Ministers to resume the talks started on the previous day.