NEARING THE END

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 115, 12 November 1930, Page 11

NEARING THE END

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

COMPLICATED BUSINESS

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, 10th November. The Imperial Conference is nouf, nearing the end of its work, and there is a possibility of the final plenary session being held on Thursday. Good progress has bien made with the consideration by the heads of the delegations of the reports submitted t« them by Committees *> and Sub-Commit-tees of the Conference. A large number of these reports were considered and approved this afternoon, and on, the economic side^it now only remains for the heads to examine the series of, reports prepared by various Sub-Com-mittees set up by the •Committee presided over by the President of the Board of Trade, Mr. "William Graham. Questions dealt with in these latter reports, which will be examined by the heads to-morrow, cover suggested methods, whereby inter-Imperial co-opera-tion might be stimulated other than by; tariff preferences. Two meetings of the heads to-day ■ were primarily concerned with final consideration of constitutional aspects of inter-Imperial relations, and at this afternoon's meeting this task was completed. It is understood that a series of recommendations will be submitted by, the heads to the plenary session on questions raised in the report of last year's conference on the operation of Domittion legislation. ■ i NATIONALITY PROBLEM. On the subject of nationality, sections 73 to 78 of the Operation of Dominion Legislation Report have been carefully studied, and it is anticipated that the Imperial Conference will af- - firm them. Two of the Dominions, Canada and South Africa, have already; passed Acts defining the term nationals, both for national and international purposes, and the sections in question, recognise that it is desirable that the Dominions generally should define their own nationals. The report also took note of the fact that members of the Commonwealth are united by common, allegiance to the Crown, which is the basis of the common status possessed by all the subjects,of His Majesty, and that the common status recognised throughout the Commonwealth in recent years has been given a statutory; basis through the operation of the British Nationality and Status of Aliens ■ Act, 1914. The sections of the report! on this subject likely to be confirmed by the Imperial Conference require that if any change is desired in the existing requirements of common status reciprocal action will be necessary to attain this, and that no member of the Commonwealth should or would contemplate seeking to confer on any per* son a status to be operative throughout the Commonwealth save in pursuance of legislation based upon a common agreement. In regard to the nationality of married women, the heads of the delegations have examined Sections 8 to 10 of The Hague Conference Keport, and it is believed they are prepared to recommend, that the Governments withia the Commonwealth carry out these recommendations, but there appears to be a disinclination to proceed beyond, this. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES. In view of the recommendations ot last year's Conference, it seems probable that the present Imperial Conference will be recommended by the heads to approve prdposals regarding . the right of the Crown to disallow and reserve Dominion legislation, and that the Government of the United Kingdom will ask Parliament to pass the, necessary legislation to effect this and to repeal the Colonial Laws Validity; Act. Approval of the report carries with it acceptance of the Convention that it would be in accord with the established constitutional position of all members of the Commonwealth, in relation to one another, 'that any alteration in law touching succession to the Throne or Royal Style and Titles shall hereafter require the assent of the Parliaments of all the Dominions, as well as of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Legislation to give effect to the various proposals indicated above will not be introduced in the British Parliament until Tequests are received from the Dominions and a suggested schedule of dates for receiving such rquests will permit of legislation becoming effective on Ist December of next year. Another important question discussed was that of appeals to the Privy Council, but it is understood that oa this subject the heads made no recommendation.