EMPIRE FUTURE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 126, 31 May 1938, Page 7

EMPIRE FUTURE.

Minister Sees Dangers of

Nationalism.

MR. M. MacDONALD'S VIEW.

LONDON, May 26.

Within the lifetime of persons now living, the present British Empire may break up and disappear, the Secretary for Colonies, Mr. Malcolm Mac Donald, told the Empire Press Union. "We can see forces working in the Dominions which make this possible; one great force is nationalism," he added.

Beyond a certain point, Nationalism did not tend to combine, but to divide.

In some Dominions numbers of people were "\>adlv biften" by Nationalism. Many citizens were so imbued with this spirit that they thought national freedom was incomplete while their Dominion was within the Empire.

Nationalism was proper and natural, and must be respected. There would be something wrong with the Empire ifi the spirit of Nationalism did not exist in the free Dominions, but they must recognise that there were elements which might carry the Dominions outside the Empire.

He did not believe, however, that the Empire would break up, while strong forces, both material and spiritual, were binding it, including trade security.

With one possible exception, every Dominion depended for Bafety on the British Navy, and the safety of their own skins was the most powerful uniting force. To-day the Empire was an association of six free nations, one of which, at least, in addition to Britain herself, would be a great Power within 50 to 100 years.

With the industrialisation, of Aus-1 tralia and other Dominions, and the growth of their populations, there may grow up an Empire of which three or four members were great Powers. The council expressed the hope that cable and wireless authorities would, in the near future, announce Press rate reductions throughout the Empire, comparable with the general concessions. Sir Stanley Reed suggested that the Id a word Empire-wide rate, for which he had striven for 20 years, was within reach.