Their Own Delegates

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 797, 18 October 1929, Page 9

Their Own Delegates

DOMINIONS AND NAVIES London Farley in January MR. MACDONALD NOW AT OTTAWA U nit id I'.A —Cv Telegraph —Copyriflftt Australian am! -V./T. Press Association l United ServiceJ Deceived 0.5 a.in. OTTAWA, Thursday. TIIE Dominions will be represented at the Five Powers’ Naval Conference in London by their own delegates,” Mr. Ramsay MacDonald said in an interview on Thursday. No arrangements binding Canada would be entered into without the knowledge and consent of that Dominion.

Final agreements in respect of disarmament depend entirely on the London conference. The British Prime Minister reiterated that the purpose of his visit was not to come to agreements, but to create an atmosphere. favourable for further conferences on naval disarmament. The question embraced much more than the attitude of two Powers. What the Labour Government wanted was a world agreement on disarmament, which would result in world pacification.

Asked why he had come to the United States rather than approach one of the other Powers, Mr. MacDonald replied that until Britain could obtain some assurance on disarmament with the United States, there was no use in calling a general conference. In 1924, the world had been confronted with the problem of a European settlement; now it was confronted with a larger issue, the problem of a world settlement. One thing which must be settled at present was the condition of the world's mind on disarmament, Mr. MacDonald declined politely to discuss such questions as the holding of the Imperial Economic Conference at Ottawa. He was at present specialising in peace. There were departments of the British Government working at full steam on problems of a domestic nature.

When his attention was drawn to dispatches intimating that he would discuss the demilitarisation of Halifax with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King, he replied: “I would suggest that you take those dispatches with a large grain of salt.”

ARRIVAL AT OTTAWA

GETTING TOGETHER FRANCE AND ITALY CONFER EARLY BEFORE THE CONFERENCE Australian, and N.Z. Press Associotiou Reed. 1.3 p.m. LONDON, Thurs. Reports both from Rome and from Paris suggest that France and Italy have virtually completed arrangements to confer before the London conference, in the hope of reaching a common policy for safeguarding their naval interests, particularly in submarines and light cruisers.

Mr. MacDonald was very fagged at the end of his Toronto programme, but he was refreshed by a night's sleep. He will have a less strenuous programme here. He will he a guest at Government House for three days. The University of Toronto conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon Mr. MacDonald. The British Prime Minister on Friday will be sworn in as a member of the Privy Council of Canada.

MR. MACDONALD IS GUEST OF LORD WILLiNGDON NUMEROUS ENGAGEMENTS British Official Wireless Reed. 11 a.m. RUGBY, Thursday. Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, accompanied by Miss Ishbel MacDonald, left Toronto at midnight for Ottawa, where he arrived this morning. He was met by the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King. Mr. MacDonald proceeded to Government House, where he was welcomed by Lord Willingdon, GovernorGeneral of Canada, and Lady V illingdon, whose guest he will be during his stay in the Dominion capital. Later he went with Mr. Mackenzie King to the latter’s country house at Kingsmere for a talk, vhich is expected to deal mainly with the subject of naval limitation. Tonight Mr. MacDonald will be the guest of honour at a dinner to be given by the Dominion Government in the Parliament Building at Ottawa, and he will probably make an important speech on this occasion. He has numerous other engagements to fulfil before he leaves Ottawa for Montreal on Monday evening.