THE EMPIRE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17732, 7 April 1923, Page 15

THE EMPIRE.

COMMON FOREIGN POLICY. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S VIEWS. CASUS—PBESSI ASSeeUTIuS—COFTWQHT.) (.' THE TIMSS.") LONDON, April 5. Sir George Porley, Canadian High Commissioner, in an interview in "Tho Times" on a common Empire foreign policy, said:—''At first flight tho problem of Imperial co-operntion ap 'oearji insoluble, because the Dominions wish to preserve their sell'-govoming status. Yot there is noeil for a cominon foreign policy. The only possible solution is a moro frequent uud continuous consultation. Tho beat method is to have a member of each Dominion Government in Loudon, with an understanding that they should meet members of tho Imperial Cabinet when questions of general concern arise. Thus tho Dominion Governments would be more fully advised of foreign relations and would be a consulting body similar to the War Cabinet, but without the War Cabinet's authority." His experience ut Goaova and London, Sir George Parley added, had been that tho difficulties of Imperial problems would largely disappear whon representatives met at tha same table. He considered that a resident Minister would bo preferable to a High Commissioner. A Ministor could approach members of Cabinot direct, whereas the Commissioner was supposed to approach thcin through tho Colonial Secretary^ Sir George agrees with Sir Francis Bell that a resident Minister must consult his Government, "but," he aays, "grave international complications do not arise in five minutes. (Such prooeduro would have preveuted the complications over the appeal to the Dominions during the Near East crisis." Interviewed regarding Sir George Parley's suggestions, Sir James Allen said that his personal and unofficial opinion was that a better system of consulting the Dominions was absolutely necessary and inevitable. The great Dominions would not consent, indefinitely, to commit themselves to a foreign policy in which they had no voiceThe status of High Commissioners might be altered advantageously. At present they did not receive sufflci'Jit recognition from the British Government, but the blame did not lis with the Imperial authorities, because the Dominion Governments should request fuller concessions and rights for their representatives. However, he could not see how a Resident Minister could maintain contact better than a High CJpniiirissioner, ' Sir George Parley's suggestion that a Dominion representative should spend part of the year in his own Dominion might be practicable for Canada, but utterly out of the question for the more distant Dominions. Besides, Dominion Ministers were not a permanent institution, and it was undesirable to change the representative in London with every change of Government. economic CONFERENCE. (AWOTJUttAW A»n> K.Sr *SW<J*MTO*-) SYDNEY, April 6. Mr S. M. Bruce, Commonwealth Prime Minister, dealing with the proposed Economic Conference, said; "We must neveT allow 'any Dominion# to get mora closely linked with any outside Power than with Great Britain." He realised, he said, that he was on dangerous ground, but most of his hearers would understand what he meant. The Empire contained all the necessities oIS life, and it would be possible to achieve the idea of interdependence, from which they could evolve the greatest and strongest economic empire the world had seen or dreamed of: idealising, the value of preference in the Australian market, Mr Bruce added: "Many foreign Governments had approached tha Commonwealth Government with a view to obtaining a reciprocal trade agreement, unden which preference would be given to Australian goods in exchange for reciprocal treatment for manufactured goods coming into the Australian market. To all these suggestions Australia had turned a deaf ear, ponding the | determination of an inter-Empire trade policy."