EMPIRE COUNCILS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 128, 1 June 1926, Page 6

EMPIRE COUNCILS.

In his lirst public pronouncement in England our new High Commissioner has lirmly announced his adherence v the present system of Dominion repre sentatiou in Britain, and his opposition to the Canadian proposal of selecting a cabinet Minister to reside in London as representative of the nation. In this statement Sir James Parr has correctly interpreted the public opinion in New Zealand. A Cabinet Minister residing half the world away would be of no use to '■" Dominion as an admi- Tator, he would be a High Commissioner under another name, and somebody else would be carrying out his real functions. Nor would his decisions in consultation with the Imperial authorities be any more effective, they could be no more than tentative and subject to fullest revision by his colleagues. "No better Bystem of consultation ha* yet been devised than that of direct appeal to the Prime Ministers in times ot crisis, with meetings of the Imperial Conference to discuss matters of common interest when the occasion arises The last conference was held in October 1023. the next will open on October 4 and that meeting will offer a far better opportunity for making any necessary readjustments in Empire rela tions than could be provided by indepen dent consultations in London. Canada is anxious to appoint an Ambassador to America. New Zealand has no desire to follow this lead in any way, but it quite content, as the High Commissioner says, to leave to the Bri tish Government the conduct of foreign affairs, so long as she is not left in tb* dark when negotiations are in progress The suggestion that the real object of the advocates of a greater measure <f independence is to break away is an over-statement. Canada regards hersel' as mistress of her own destinies, but her responsible statesmen have strongly Associated themselves from any idea of seeking to destroy the unity of the Empire. Sir Robert Borden and Sir George Foster have both asserted thai the appointment of a special envoy would tighten the bonds and knit even closer the British Commonwealth of nations.