Choosing a Governor-General.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17223, 13 August 1921, Page 8

Choosing a Governor-General.

The time may com® when the 'overseas Dominions will claim, and bo granted, the right to choose for themselves their Governors-General, possibly from among their own-public men. Such a change Would not necessarily indicate, or involve, any relaxation of their close relationship with the Mother Country, it would simply be a natural development of the movement from complete depend- : ence to a large'measure of independence under the Monarchy that has been going on' for many years. Already there are signs that the old method of appointing a Governor or Governor-Gen-eral is way to a new one. At one time a colony was given its Governor by the monarch and his or her advisers, without consulting the, colonists' wishes in the matter, if they fbad any. .Then followed the policy of consulting the colony or Dominion concerned as to whether a particular man would be acceptable as the monarch's representor tive. Now we have in the cases of New Zealand and- Canada, two instances of Donnmoms expressing a. strong wish that shonld be xaade

when tihe position of Governor-General had to be filled.

In the case of New Zealand everyone Temembers that during Viscount Jellicoe's visit to the Dominion in 1919) a general desire was expressed—not infrequently at the public gatherings which he attended—that lie should succeed Lord Liverpool as our GovernorGeneral. "We have no authority for saying that New Zealand's wish, in this matter was placed before the Imperial Government, but we have not the least doubt that it was, and that it was in response to that wish that Lord Jellicoe was offered and accepted the post that he now occupies. His appointment, it may be said, was the first of its kind to be received with immediate accla--mation by practically the whole popular tion, partly because it was the first occasion on which New Zealand had had an opportunity of learning to appreciate its future GovernorGeneral before he came 'here in that official capacity, and partly because it was intensely proud of having secured, as the official head of the State, one who had rendered the Empire signal service. The case of Canada resemble 3, to a large extent, that of New Zealand. A cable message in this issue tolls of the inauguration as GovernorGeneral of that Dominion, of Lord Byng of Yfmy, who had previously received an ovation from the huge crowds assembled to witness his landing in that country. That ceremony was a direct result of the desire of large numbers of Canadians that tlie successor to the Duke of Devonshire as GovernorGeneral should be the distinguished soldier who for nearly eighteen months so commanded the Canadian Corps in the Ore at War as to win the confidence of every man serving under him, and the warm appreciation of all Canada. "It is not too much to say," remarked the London "Times,'' referring to the announcement of Lord Byng's appointment in June last, "that in this " instance the Canadian people have "made their own choice. If such pre- " feronce on such excellent grounds of "close personal knowledge could be ev " pressed with the same franknesß "every time an appointment of the " kind had to be made, it would be a '' good thing for both, this country and "the Dominions." Lord Byng Jias gone to Canada "as to the home of count- " leas friends," just as Lord Jellicoe came to New Zealand as to a country where his fame was only equalled by his personal popularity. If the Dominions always express their preference on similarly sound lines, as Canada and New Zealand have done, they will diminish to a minimum any opposition that might otherwise be raised to their claim to exercise their free choice of a Governor-General. The fact that he must, from the nature of his office, be absolutely above, and independent of, all connexion with local politics, will probably mean that £he choice will always be made from among the ranks of distinguished public men in the Old Country.