STEPS TOWARDS UNITY.

Evening Star, Issue 14635, 3 August 1911, Page 5

STEPS TOWARDS UNITY.

SIR JOHN FINDLAY ON THE WORK OF THE CONFERENCE. [Feou. Oue Special CoEEEsroxDE.vr.] "LONDON, June 21. Sir John Findlay, who, by the way, has had congratulations showered upon him this week on the occasion of his knighthood, agrees with Sir Joseph Warn in regarding the Imperial Conference of 1911 as the most practical of tho series yet held. In an interview this morning New Zeeland’s second delegate gave me his impressions of the work of the conference. "1 think it is generally admitted,” he said, “that tho conference has produced more substantial, practical results than any conference which has sat. It is true that the conference did not embark upon any wide scheme of Imperial federation, but there ram through tho whole of its deliberations a strong tendency to treat the Empire, as one, in a sense in which it has never been treated before. 1 “In secret committee the Homo Government, with the utmost frankness and absolute openness, disclosed tho whole of the foreign policy of Great Britain and the jeasons for that policy. The undertalcing on the part of the British Government that in future, as far as practicable, England would submit for consideration to her oversea self-governing countries all foreign treaties which in any way would be likely to affect those countries, and the further undertaking that Great Britain would endeavor to obtain the release of any of the Oversea Dominions which desired it from the operation of existing commercial treaties, were, it will be admitted, substantial acknowledgments of Imperial partnership. " A further illustration of the increasing recognition of Imperial unity was seen in the readiness with which British Ministers undertook to give, as far as possible, Imperial operation to the judgments and orders of courts of justice and the awards of commercial arbitration. The AttorneyGeneral, Sir Rufus Isaacs, readily agreed to New Zealand’s proposal in this matter, and he emphatically condemned the ano- j maly which has so long existed of Great Britain treating her Oversea Dominions, as regards the operation of her legal processes (including judgments and orders of Courts), very much as she treats foreign nations. The proposed amendments of the law, both here and in the self-govern-ing countries, when approved by tho respective Parliaments, will give in proper cases the same operation to judgments and orders of High Courts both in the Oversea Dominions and in Great Britain as is now given to tho judgments and orders of British Courts throughout the United Kingdom. All in the same direction of unity, the Lord Chancellor agreed to substantial changes in the Privy Council. We will now nave—if the King approves—what is substantially an Imperial Court of Final Appeal, tho procedure of which will be as far as possible assimilated to that of the Honse of Lords, and Judges will, if they desire it, give dissenting judgments, as they do now in the House of Lords. “ The agreement arrived at with regard to Imperial naturalisation is also a very valuable step. Tho promise regarding the cheapening of cable rates will doubtless be shortly fulfilled, and very substantial reductions will be made in cable rates between the Motherland and the Oversea Dominions —an advantage which is bound to result in an increased practical union between the people overseas and the people here. In nearly all the proposals made by New Zealand with regard to modifications and amendments of the law we had either complete agreement on the part of His Majesty’s Government, or we had a ready willingness to meet us as far as possible. Personally, the work I have done with the Solicitor-General, the Attorney-Gen-eral, and the other Law Officers of tho Crown here has been most interesting.” Sir John Findlay also referred to the Royal Commission which is to bo appointed to take evidence in the different parts of the Empire on matters concerning Imperial trade, immgiration, and Imperial uniformity in laws applying to commerce and shipping. The present idea is that the Commission Shall consist of two representatives of the United Kingdom and one from each of the self-governing Dominions. “ The expectation is,” said Sir John, “that the work they do and the results reached, if urgent, should be referred to a subsidiary conference. The Commission will be purely advisory. Its mission is to obtain reliable information, and submit for consideration any proposals it thinks will further the interests of the Empire. Such a Commission, largely representative, as it will be, not only of the Motherland, but of the autonomous countries, is a step ip tins direction of an Imperial Council. ■