Mr. Amery at Albany

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 173, 12 October 1927, Page 17

Mr. Amery at Albany

SEEING THINGS FOR HIMSELF Conduct of Imperial Affairs NOT all the travelling necessary in the conduct, of Imperial affairs should be done by the Dominion Ministers, is the opinion of Mr. L. S. Amery, Secretary of State for the Dominions, who is touring the Empire. “British Ministers should reciprocate,” he said at Alt'any, “by taking every opportunity for visiting the Dominions.” By Cable. —Press Association. — Copyright.

PERTH, Tuesday. rjiHE Secretary o£ State for the Dominions, Mr. L. S. Amery, reached Albany by the steamer Ulysses, and was welcomed by Sir Neville Howse on behalf of the Commonwealth Government, members of the State Government, and prominent citizens. Mr. Amery, interviewed, said the object of his tour of the Dominions was to learn what he could about their conditions, and, still more important, to get to know their people. He considered it was clearly desirable that every Minister of the imperial Government should make an effort to inform himself on the affairs and problems in all parts of the Empire. This particularly applied to a Minister, who was specifically charged with the responsibilities of keeping the various aspects of Imperial co-opera-tion before his colleagues. "Only thus can we co-operate most effectively for our mutual benefit,” he said. Mr. Amery realised that a few weeks’ touring and keeping open his own eyes was likely to prove to be worth years of reading books or dis-

patches, or even conversing in London with visitors from the Dominions. This prompted his tour. He did not think it right to expect that all the effort and sacrifice of long journeys should be made by Dominion Ministers. It seemed well, where possible, that British Ministers should recipro cate by taking every opportunity of visiting the Dominions. He enlarged upon the importance of being able to discuss, direct with the various Governments, current questions and thereby straighten them out more quickly. In this connection be referred particularly to questions of marketing and migration. He was anxious to learn where the Imperial Government could co-operate with the Dominion Governments in . stimulating that scientific research which was vital to production nowadays. He hoped to have some talks with the settlers, so as to learn exactly what their difficulties are, and in this way to make a real success of the immigration movement, and get that continuous steady flow of migrants which was best for the Dominions and Britain.— A. and N.Z.