OTTAWA CONFERENCE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 238, 28 May 1932, Page 5

OTTAWA CONFERENCE

("Post's" Special Commissioner)

n.z.'b preparatfons officials and ministers busy working out details STAFF NOT YET SELECTED

WELLINGTON, Friday. The official New Zealand delegation to the Ottawa Conference will include a number of staff officers in addition to the three Ministers. - The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, stated that Cabinet had" given no consideration yet to the question of what departmental officers, private secretaries, " and other staff would accompany the delegation, but it cotild be taken as certain that the Comptroller of Customs (Dr. G. Craig) would be one of the departmental experts. He added that the staff would be kept as small as possible. In view of the fact that the Government is pressing for consideration at the- conference of the exchange, currency and banking systems, it is regarded as extremely likely that a representative of the Treasury, probably the Secretary, Mr. A. D. Park, will go with the official party. A former secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce, Mr. J. W. Collins, is now Trade Commissioner for New Zealand in Canada and he will probably attend the conference as adviser to the official delegates on commercial matters. Each of the three Ministers will probably be attended by a private secretary. The head of the Prime Minister's Department, Mr. F. D. Thomson, has had a much wider experience of Imperial Conferences and other missions abroad than any other publie servant, and it has been customary in recent years for the Imperial Affairsofficer, Mr. C. A.-Berendensen to attend Empire Conferences. Their specialised knowledge will no doubt be among the factors to be considered in determining the staff personnel. On some former occasions a lady typist has accompanied official representatives as well as a baggage attendant. On the recent mission to Honolulu, the Hon. Downie Stewart had a personal attendant. It is not expected that the delegation will be able to return to New Zealand much before the middle of October. The party will probably leave for Canada in the last week of June in order to be in Ottawa by the appointed date for the opening of the conference at the end of Jtfly, and proceedings are likely to last for six or eight weeks. No time is being lost in completing preparations for the Conference The agenda notified to the various Dominions this week is understood te be of a tentative nature and suggestions have been invited as to more detailed matters for discussion at the Conference. Some of the heads of departments are, therefore, being instructed to prepare for the consideration of Cabinet reports on subjects which may be brought up for deliberation in Ottawa.