FRANK DISCUSSIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 December 1939, Page 7

FRANK DISCUSSIONS

I CONFERENCE OF EMPIRE MINISTERS 1 ~ I ATMOSPHERE OF CO-OPERATION AND HELPFULNESS. 1 ; n HON PETER FRASER'S RETURN, d is (By Telegraph—Press Association.i I- WELLINGTON, This Day. <1 The conference of Dominion Ministers was very successful, said the Hon /J Peter Fraser. Acting-Prime Minister i- who has just, returned from England. " Its object, of enabling Ministers from the Dominions to obtain first-hand - knowledge of the political, economic a and military problems of the war. and the international situation was very r fully achieved. There were a number of discussions with the War Cabs inet and many conferences and consuls. tations with individual Ministers and Ministry officials on every subject afg footing the British Commonwealth in L general, and. as far as he personally was concerned, New Zealand in pars' ticular. The Dominion representatives met on a number of occasions at the Dominions office with Mr Anthonv “ Eden. They met also at 10 Downing Street, at the Foreign Office, at the e j Treasury, at the War Office, at the Admiralty. at the Royal Air Force Headquarters. at the Ministry of Supply, at the Ministry of Food, at the Ministry ® of Shipping, at the Ministry of Econ- '■ omic Warfare, at the Ministry of Civil Defence, at the Ministry of Information, and elsewhere. "The discussions were invariably frank," he said. "Nothing was concealed from the overseas Ministers. All information asked was supplied, and we were taken completely into the confidence of the United Kingdom Government. There was a general at . i mosphere of co-operation and helpfulf. ness. and there were very strong indi- ( cations of the importance attached to , the attitude and effort of each individ- ' ual Dominion as well as of the British s Commonwealth as a whole. 1 1 STRATEGIC PROBLEMS. c "At a meeting dealing with strategic j problems we had detailed reviews of the position, or rather of the various ’ positions, by the Minister for the Co--1 ordination of Defence, Admiral Lord - Chatfield, the Secretary of State for ' War, Mr Hore Belisha, the Secretary i of State for Air. Sir Kingsley Wood. >• the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Dudley Pound, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Sir Edmund Ironside, and Air-Marshal Pierse representing the views of the Chief of . the Air Staff. "In addition, accompanied by the , High Commissioner for New Zealand. ’ Mr W. J. Jordan, and Mr C. A. Berendsen. I had an interesting and most important interview with the First Lord of the Admiralty. Mr Winston Churchill. Mr Churchill explained explicitly and graphically the plans : of the Admiralty and the results obtained. and likely to be achieved in the near future, in reference to convoys, submarine attacks, pocket battleships, magnetic mines and other matters of importance connected with the work of the Admiralty. NEW ZEALAND QUESTIONS. "Questions specifically affecting New Zealand which were discussed were the Expeditionary Force, its destination, provision for transport and safe convoy, the Maori Battalion, the AntiTank Corps formed in Britain. New Zealanders in the Royal Air Forces and New Zealand's undertaking in this respect, the Commonwealth training scheme in Canada, the supply of all kinds of personnel for the Air Force Naval forces in the Pacific. War finance, purchase of New Zealand commodities, shipping required for transport of our produce, and many allied subjects.” Dominion Ministers and other members of the delegations were given an opportunity of seeing the various War rooms of the Cabinet, the Admiralty, the War Office, the Royal Air Force. ' and the Fighter and Coastal Defence Commands of the Air Force. Visits I were paid to some of the principal I training camps where instruction in i practically every branch of modern army technique was being undertaken. . A large munitions works was also inspected. The Dominions representatives saw modern military forces prac- I tising with mechanised equipment, and < the extent and intricacies of the noces- ; sary training. s MANY MEETINGS DAILY. Their time in London was very fully r . occupied with three, four and even 1 sometimes five meeting each day. The i Ministers from the Dominions felt that, t as far as humanly possible, all avail- C able information had been placed at I their service for the purpose of enabl- v ing them to report adequately to their v respective Governments. t "There were some questions to I which it was impossible for me to give n at the moment the close detailed at- t

tention which they required.’ Mr Fraser said. "I was fortunate in having associated with me Mr C. A. Berendsen. Colonel W. C. Stevens and Mr J. T. Waugh, who gave the necessary personal attention to all such matters. The High Commissioner. Mr Jordan, heartily co-operated with, and helped me consistently throughout the whole period, while the services, of Dr R. M. Campbell, economic adviser to the High Commissioner's office, were invaluable. I feel that I owe to those whom 1 have mentioned, as well as the other members of the staff of the High Commissioner's office who helped me so willingly, my very sincere thanks."