IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 111, 12 May 1909, Page 3

IMPERIAL DEFENCE.

BRITISH EMPIRE LEAGUE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 2nd April. The Duke of Devonshire v presided at a meeting of the British Empire League held 'on Tuesday at the Mansion House. Mr. W. Hall-Jones was elected a member of the council, and the executive committee were re-elected with Lord Selby as chairman. COLONIAL CO-OPERATION. Lord Brassey proposed: "That the council of the British Empire League heartily welcomes the evidence of a desire of the peoples of the King's Dominions Beyond the Seas to co-operate with the Mother Country in naval defence, and trusts that his Majesty's Government will see their way to take advantage of this movement towards securing the united defence of the Empire." He was sure they were all of one mmd in expressing their high appreciation of the generous loyalty of our fellow-subjects, but they should deprecate any relaxation of the efforts which we at Home were bound to make for ourselves. (Cheers.) The attention of statesmen had long been engaged in the consideration of means by which mutual consultation might take place in reference to the external policy of the defence of the Empire. If -we could create in a satisfactory manner a representative body it might be possible to fix contributions upon a definite basis. A SISTERHOOD OF NATIONS. Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Hutton, in seconding the resolution, said that the instinct which was most conspicuous in Australia and Canada was that those self-governing colonies considered the best manner in which they might permanently assist in the defence of the Empire was by creating armies and navies of their own. (Cheers.) Our fellow-subjects in Australia and Canada viewed with the utmost apprehension anything that interfered with their powers as independent self-governing nations in a sisterhood of nations. This expression of co-operation almost exactly covered the difficulties in regard to the mutual defence to whicn it was the ■interest of all parts of the Empire to oontribute. He congratulated the British Empire League upon adopting this particular expression in the resolution. Sir Frederick Young supported the resolution, which was carried unanimousiy.