STATUS OF THE DOMINIONS

Evening Star, Issue 19773, 25 January 1928, Page 5

STATUS OF THE DOMINIONS

BENEFITS OF EQUITY FOSTERING NATIONAL SPIRIT. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright, MELBOURNE, January 25. (Received January 25, at 10.50 a.m.) Sir Robert Home, addressing the Constitutional Club, expressed the conviction that the conferring of equal status on the dominions would foster the growth of the national spirit, which would materially benefit the Empire. He said that "the Empire was bound by spiritual sentiment more than by anything else, although they had to recognise that that spirit might greatly be invigorated and strengthened. Some wiseacres seemed to think that equal status might lead to a feeling of greater detachment as between one portion of the Empire and the others, or to the growth of the national spirit of Australia, New Zealand, or Canada, which would make the dominions stand more aloof in their relationship with the Mother Country. Sir Robert Horn© said that he did not share this apprehension at all, nor did he anticipate any such difficulty. Instead of deprecating any growth of national spirit in the British communities he would welcome it. He ventured to predict that it would he all to the good and in the interests of the Empire. Sir Robert Horne reviewed the economic problems, showing how greatly industry had been affected by strikes, and bow prosperity in the United States followed the recognition of the economic fact that the interests of Capital and Labor were identical.