AUSTRALIA & U.S.A.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 December 1938, Page 8

AUSTRALIA & U.S.A.

MR S. M. BRUCE IN NEW YORK NO IMMEDIATE PROSPECT OF TRADE PACT. VIEWS TO BE EXCHANGED IN WASHINGTON. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. NEW YORK, December 14. Contrary to assertions in some quarters that the Australian High Commissioner in London, Mr S. M. Bruce, who is arriving tomorrow, comes to initiate negotiations between Australia and the United States of America for a reciprocal trade agreement, the Australian Associated Press learns on excellent authority that there are no plans for any such step. Mr Bruce will at most sound out what opinion in Washington is regarding such an agreement and inform himself of the official American attitude in respect to a multitude of questions on international affairs, particularly the European situation following the Munich agreement. He will then make a report to the Cabinet. The Australian Government is now well aware of the American attitude regarding a trade treaty, namely, that it would like to negotiate one, but cannot undertake to do so immediately. Nor is it yet ready to set a specific date when it would be prepared to examine the question. It is felt here that Mr Bruce will not undertake this time actively to press the Australian request for on.en negotiations, but will treat the wHble question in an informal, exploratory manner. Mr Bruce will spend Friday in New York, probably consulting J. P. Morgan and Company, and other banking groups, and will depart for Washington on Saturday. He will lunch with the Acting-Secretary of State, Mr Sumner Welles, on Monday and with the Secretary for the z Treasury, Mr Morgenthau, on Tuesday. He will also confer with the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Leahy, the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr Wallace, the Works Progress Administrator, Mr Hopkins, andj other heads of the Administration. It is expected that he will have an audience with President Roosevelt.

It is emphasised that his exchange of views with a large group of officials and leaders of opinion will be of a general nature, and will not have any specific mission from the Commonwealth’s viewpoint. It is also indicated that his programme in Washington will include visits to a large number of persons whom he has met or served with on a variety of European conferences, and from that standpoint it will be a matter of renewing old friendships rather than of holding official discussions.

The opinion is held here, however, that the visit will be of great value to the Australian Government from an informational viewpoint.