GOVERNORS-GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 20633, 5 November 1930, Page 8

GOVERNORS-GENERAL

NOMINATIONS BY DOMINIONS IMPORTANT DECISION REACHED. LONDON, November, 4. (Received November 5, at 12.20 p.m.) As tho outcome of tlxe Imperial Conference decision to-day Australia’s next Governor-General will be recommendedl to His Majesty by the Australian, not the British, Cabinet. It was Lord Sankey’s Committee on Interimperial Relations which unanimously decided that tho constitutional practice whereby His Majesty acts on the advice of his responsible Ministers henceforth applies to Governors-General throughout the Empire, as in other matters, and Ministers in the dominions concerned are Ministers tendering and responsible for such advice.

(Received November 5, at 1 p.m.) Important conclusions are now beginning to emerge from the month’s discussions by the conference committees. One of outstanding interest to Australia relates to the method of tendering advice to the King oh tho appointment of the Governor-General. In this connection it may be inferred from Mr Scullin’s inaction in relation to tho Australian vacancy since his first audience with His Majesty that he was waiting for the Sankey Committee’s decision to bo endorsed by the conference in plenary session before tendering his advice on a successor to Lord Stonehaven. THE WHEAT QUOTA PERCENTAGE-NOT YET SETTLED. LONDON, November 4. (Received November 5, at 1.40 p.m.) Britain’s attitude to the wheat quota is still awaited, though Canada and Australia last week had every reason to believe that the figures previously cabled mot Britain’s views. It can be said that both Canada and Australia

asked for a percentage of something over sixty, obviously as a bargaining margin, while Britain talked around the figure fifty. Hope has not been abandoned that a compromise of fifty-five will be accepted. Forecasts from reliable quarters from the beginning of the conference have been that the only economic results would be the wheat quota and the creation of an economic secretariat, but it is understood that the secretariat idea has been rejected. There is a strong but not unanimous dominions feeling against the creation of another permanent body involving a high-salaried executive. It was argued that there are sufficient experts on the Imperial Economic Committee of the Empire Marketing Board to divide between them a constant watch on the Empire’s economic affairs. This view is most likely to prevail.

The pious hopes of the Civil Aviation Committee that the Anglo-African regular air mail service will soon be followed by an extension of the Indian service to Australia received little encouragement. It is understood that an Australian delegate indicated that owing to the present financial stress there is little hope of Australia taking immediate action. Something may arise after the conference from the new and more modest proposal, omitting the present idea of a costly subsidy. Th«> chief hope at present is that something will be done to link Karachi and Colombo by air, thus saving ten days’ transit to Australia.

[A previous message stated: —lt is learned that the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and Canada have reached an agreement definitely adopting tna quota for the Empire’s future exports of wheat to Britain. It is understood that it will be on the basis of three of the above countries supplying 55 per cent, of Britain’s annual requirements.]