THE PERSONAL TOUCH

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 107, 7 May 1924, Page 16

THE PERSONAL TOUCH

EMPIRE PARLIAMENTARY

ASSOCIATION

MR. MACDONALD'S ASSURANCES

CONTINUITY OF IMPERIAL

POLICY,

(FROM ODB OWN CORBESPOJiDENT.>

LONDON, 20th March.

At the annual meeting. of the United iiingdom branch of the Empire Parliamentary Union, the Labour Prime Minister, as chief speaker, upheld the union's Imperial tradition and the non-party spirit. Mr. Stanley Baldwin and Earl Bea.tichamp, representing the other two parties of the House,'took part in the proceedings. The speaker (Mr.. J. •HJ WMtley), who is joint president of the United Kingdom branch, was in the ciian.*.1 . - The Speaker said.that 1923 had been j the most active and useful year in the nistory of the association, and he thougnt that 1924 was likely to surpass even last year in that respect. Alluding to the daily activity of the headquarters of the association at Westminster Hall, he said he did not think that even the members of the association fully realised what was going on there,practically daily, during the session of Parliament and,during the recesses. These rooms had': become the London home, or, he might say, the London club of visiting members from1 the,. Dominions Parlia-. meiits. They were, welcomed there and :\ made to feel at home. It was the centre of information on all matters, relating to the, work .of the. Home Parliament and of the Parliaments df ( the Dominions. One important feature of 192-1 was likely to be the visit of a.delegation to. the. Parliament of the Union of South Africa. . A mosfc.generous invitation had been received ■■and members of the Home branch of .the iassbciation would feel the deepest gratitude for such generosity, and there would be the greatest desire to take advantage of the offer. He also re-' ferred to the new Dominions Gallery in the: House of Commons, and remarked that it had been a matter of much gratifi-' cation: to'him to hav6 ,had a.share in providing ; such . acconimodation for. the use of their friends from the Dominion^. It made'members of the Parliaments of the Dominions feel: that - they were all colleagues in theIsaine work, that they ■were welcomed to their debates, and that they, were called to enter into the spirit of the old Home Parliament. He hoped that' on most occasions their .procedure would: help their visitors in difficulties which might arise from time to time. ': -■ .••"■• :■ \ : MR. THOMAS TO VISIT SOUTH ■ :.':: ;■■.- w ::■ afmga.. ; ■ : :,; .; Mr. Ramsay MacDphald moved the adoption of the report; "I suppose the British; Empire: was oner of the miscellaneous fabrics that was.in some quar-tei-s.supposed to be doomed to. destruction on: the advent of a Labour .Government," he said, "but I am certain that nobody has 'better authority than.' ths secretary of' the .association to say how 'well we bave.pkyedour part in the supP°l^: £^y?'1; :-to j ;the; assoc'iajiion.-; ■, So : far as : I am' cbricerned. il' hope•' iiiy '■ cblieagu€:s in ■ j the'Hoase of Commons,:will always see ■that, to.:continue .that support is. their dutyas'well as their pleasure. '•'■: •■"■ • ■}■' ''<We afg'all.'very anxious to make .this conntry so'big,:in. tlie best sense of.- the ■term;.--and. so', influential; T^hat: the . selfgoyerning Dominions mayl'find it a great: pride'tobelong'tb/us, arid to look to'her, as:the centre and seat of their Motherland. I am quito'siire..that every party .in the: State';will.contribute to that very desirable end.'' . '■... V He .expressed" the'hope that they would be able to take full advantage of the invitation sent \iif' the South African Parliament. .He did. not know how. the House of Commons would behave during.the next few months, whether they would let members .away or not.':■ The House might,' like a rather hard-hearted : and over disciplining schoolmaster, keep them in, but. he hoped that, it would be possible.for a really inflnentiaL and represenI .tative.^ delegation to,: carry^their greeting to': theii'.; South African comrades. It was the intention; of '/Mr. Thomas to go on that .deputatioh,..jf his work in Parliament, would allow him. Mr. Thomas, he proceeded, made a very , pessimistic .speech yesterday at. a juncheon. given to ill1. ..Theodore, in which he doubted his stability. . (Laughter.) He hoped . that 'they woald all join together, Conservatives, Liberals, and Labour, id;making that delegation really worthy of the Paj> liament by which it : was sent. '""'■:■ "One thing has always struck me.asof sp eical value in - this association,". continued Mr. Mac Donald. ' "jVe have mot really. enough information about each, other. We are annihilating time andspace, and I daresay if we live, to'enjoy the natural span of-human existence we will be able to sit down.,jm the 'corner of a sofa and taDc to the ParUament at Melbourne just as if it occupied the Other ccrner of the. sofa. But there will always be,.a great,deal by way of information, required. We want to know each other's problems. They-are not quite the sanie. There is a difference;in" tradition and 10-~ cation and circumstances, and when one goes to''Australia, New.Zealand, or Canada, one picks up a -sort of engrafted class of mentality, and Sunless we are in the 'closest personal;contact with each other, with the best will and heart in. the world, we tend:to drift apart, misunderstandings arise, different angles are employed to approch.the same problems, ployed to approach the same problems. Commonwealth and Dominions of the Empire are to keep in harmonious contact with each other, it can only be done by personal contact, by arrangements made for visits and return visits, and. by the publication of information!' Tliere was no' association that could do these things except the Empire Parliamentary Association. I hope it will flourish arid perform its work in uniting us in the only way in which we can be united, in bonds of Empire centred, in a great and djgnified Mothei"land." ' PERSONAL TOUCH.■'..'• Mr. S. Baldwin said that he did not quite get from the Prime Minister's remarks whether Mr. Thomas, the Colonial Secretary, doubted his stability or his ability to.go, to South Africa. He felt that there was no doubt about the right honourable gentleman's ability, and it must behis stability: which was in question. "That leads me to say this," continued Mr. Bailwin, "I only discovered ou reading 'the annual report that I seemed, to my great grief, as responsible for the election that took place-to have done a- number of members of Parliament out of a deliglitful trip for avoiding the winter in this country. I would only say. however, that I beg of the Prime Minister to taJce care that there shall be no General Election. ; to interfere with friends of purs who-.are contemplating a" journey! which will be of the greatest use .to tho Empire as a whole."; (Cheers.) He thought that the great value of tho aßsqciation was that, of.the personal touch. It always seemed to him as one of the most valuable features of the association that it enabled them to g^et to know each other, to get fwuiUar with each afchor'g minds. ItJH»S - EBSSJbis.ihai. £VQfel*mg aniig.ht.*Bi66_

from the nature of things on which it would be more easy to arrive'at the true position through that association than when the matter was discussed by those who were in positions of responsibility, and who had to carry, the questions through. . ; ■ ■ Lord Beauchamp, in the absence of Sir John Simon, supported the adoption of the report, and remarked that very few of them when they came to discuss with distinguished visitors, what, was happer» ing in .this country were not surprised to find that they did not know so. much about what was going on here as they expected them to do; but the mote which existed in the eye of those visitors was as -nothing to the beam which existed in the eye of the.people here with regard to the whole of the self-gov-erning Dominions. They hoped to see | a large number of distinguished. visitors from oversea, this. year. They would be worthily, entertained, but a Jar greater compliment to them would be to show them that they of the Home Country knew something about the state of the Dominions from which they earner If they took full. advantage of the.:information supplied by their association they would be able to do so to a great extent. CONTINUITY OF IMPERIAL . POLICT. Dr. W. A. Chappie, in proposing the election of the Executive Committee and officers for the coming year, said that oil the two occasions he had gone to other parts of the Empire it had been a greai advantage to find that in < each country it was someone's duty to receive him, to make him at home, and to give him all the local information. There was a free masonry amongst the Parliaments of the Empire, , which was':greatly develop- '■ ed by,, the'action, of'■ this association. For one thing it was of a non-party character. The work of the Union tended to show that.the relationship of the Home Parliament to the Overseas Parliaments was a non-party R one.- He thought that j there was. a development of the principle ■. that there should be continuity of our Imperial policy, just as there was j continuity in our Foreign , policy. Dr. Chappie paid a tribute of praise to the' secretary. Sir .Howard d'Egville, he said, had a wonderful, equipment for the work he dealt with, and carried out, and ! members from the Dominion branches of the association who came to Britain appreciated his untiring and ceaseless attentions'to theii welfare. - , ■ V , NORTHERN IRELAND. , V. V '! Mr. L. S. Amery moved that/the rules of the. Association should ,be altered: so as.to' enable members of: either .House ot' the Parliament :of Northern Irelandl to become affiliated members of the association; He said that it was desirable that ■ Northern ;Ireland .'■ "should come ■ within the ' ambit of their activities'. '• .The motion was seconded by Mr. Frank1 Hodges,- ' and supported by ' Sir ■JBi.'' W.: .M: Grigg. The Empire Parliamentary ;.Association-, he'- said, 'ignored and transcended all.the oceans and seas of the world, and. it ought to be. pie: pared to ignore and transcend also that ancient river, the River Boyne. ":■''"' . Lord Burhham,. in proposing a vote of thanks to the. Speaker, said that they hoped a telegram would shortly be sert from the ' association inviting the' Dominion Parliaments to send a delegation to this country in July,-, partly, no doubt, to. see. the British Empire'• Exhibition, but also to enter into' conference and consultation, with themselves. He suggested that, if these conferences i were" arranged, the ■ Speaker should be invited to occupy theichair, and thus give them an' added, importance and value in th 6 eyes, of their .colleagues from .what were really the■"co-equal .Parliaments of the' Empire. "I : - ' ';''"' : ■!-.' > : ': ; , THE.REPORT. The annual report,: which. was adopted, is an interesting account, of the association's work during . the /past .year. It is'stated that arrangements will be made for the■ visit of ; a. delegation representative.of all parties in each of the Parliaments ,'of the ..'British Commonwealth' to visit' London in July. next during the-period of: the; Exhibition as the,.guests of the Home .brarich :of thei association,, and in this, event it is anticipated by the committee".. that . excellent opportunities will be afforded for informal, conferences with. Home members of the 'association,'.'.when-, various questions of common interest to the British1 Commonwealth of Nations can be considered and a valuable exchange of views take place. Reference is ma;de to the : delegation, to South Africa in September, when the branch of the association in -the Parliament- -of the .United* Kingdom and the branches in the other. ..Parliaments of the Empire ..have been invited-to, send delegates for a tour in the Union. ; \ ■ . ;It was decided, by: the committee Id the South African Parliament to follow the procedure, of the 1913 visit," and-.to include therein a trip to the, south-west territory,'and possibly an extension of the ; tour, to Rhodesia. '. It has been decided . that the cost of the passages of .all., the'delegates invited by thd South Africa branch of the association shall be paid by the Union Government. Tliis information was received by' the United Kingdom branch of the association with gratification, as :it was.' felt that .by , this means all the ; members : forming :the delegation would be placed on an 'entire equality as regards expenses. ..'•': .'. : . •.■'..--." : :At a me.etnig of the Empire Press Union, it may here be mentioned, Lord Buraham. annouhced his intention of accompanying the South " African , delegation. ... ' ■ \ Reference is also made in the report to the presentation. to Sir Howard d'Egville by Australiari... and New Zealand members.of Parliament last year. -.'The presentation, 'which took: the form of a handsome diamond breast pin, accompanied, by an address, was made by Sir George FuUer. On behalf of Australian and New Zealand members of Parliament, he asked Sir Howard to accept a small token of their esteem, and of their deep appreciation of his extreme kindness, courtesy, and consideration to all the representatives from, the overseas Dominions, and particularly Australia and. New Zealand. Sir George alluded,,to. the value-of, the work that was/being done by the association in strengthening the bonds of friendship. He asked Sir Howard to believe that! those overseas had the kindliest feeling I towards: him, and regarded hivn as the ! sincere friend not only of themselves but of the Dominions. ,