Empire Autonomy

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIV, Issue 197, 29 July 1924, Page 5

Empire Autonomy

Sir Jas. Alien’s Statement

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS. . INDICTMENT OF LABOUR GOVERNJ AIENT. London, June 17. At the luncheon given/to newspaper proprietors by Sir James Allen last week the High Commissioner expressed a considered opinion regarding Imperial Conferences and the relationship of the dominions to foreign policy. The statement w’as not really a variation of what Sir James had said on previous occasions, but coming las it did at a critical stage in the history of Imperial politics, and being made before an imporant assembly of journalists it has obtained a greater publicity than it otherwise would have done.

text of the High Commision er’s speech, which w r as forwarded by the last mail to New Zealand, also appears in the “Financial Times,’’ and other London newspapers gave fainy full reports. In an editorial comment the “Financal Times” says:—“Ths growth of the dominions ini the future may necessitated important changes in Empire organisation, and one of then? will surely be some arrangement undec which the ( dominions are given a voice in matters of foreign policy vitally af fecting their interests. We are persuaded, therefore, that imoro will be heard of Sir James Allen’s very valu able suggestion.” , The Duke of Northumberland (on? of the new directors and owners of the ‘’Morning Post”) was a guest at the luncheon, and in a conversation after wards he remarked: ’“ I agree with every word Sir James Allen said.” It is perhaps not unnatural, therefore, that the “Morning Post” should have de voted a leading article to the subject. The article in question is a very .strong indictment of the action of the present Government in turning down the imperial Conference proposals, and it practically prophesies that from now on Imperial Conferences t are doomed. The writer of the article points to the Canadian debates, to the election issues in South Africa, as proofs that the dominions are complaining more or less bitterly about the present constitution) of the British Empire.

“As for Australia and New Zealand, they are concerned with the more substantial and practical grievances of our failure to go on with Singapore and Imperial preference as proposed by the last Imperial Conference.” i

GENERAL DOMINION DISSATISFACTION.

“All these are signs of a genera*, dissatisfaction,'’ says the ‘ ‘ Post,'' “and the British Government, also, seems vaguely uneasy about it as suggested by the Prime Minister’s recent remark: ‘I think the time has come (said Air MacDonald) when, we have to consider, in view of the present circumstances, what machinery is required to ci eate the existence of a bmted Imperial policy, particularly as regards loreign affairs.” * ‘ The faith of the modern political! in 1 machinery’ is really pathetic. Air Alacßonaid should be reminded that such machnery as we already have, we mean the Imperial Conference, grounu out with great labour and at great expense a policy both on in foreign affairs, and on such particulai questins as the Singapore base and Imperial preference. 'ihat poucy was rc pudiated by only one of the Govern meats concerned, and that Government the Imperial Government, at whose invitation the conference had been held. If Air AlacDonald objects i3St his Government was not the same Government, we reply that in such matters it ough(t to have endorsed the policy of its predecssor. No ‘machinery’ can be of any use without continuity. . Needless’ to say, every Government has the right ’ to change, but a sagacious and patriotic Government would consider what it was wise to do as much as what itTad the right to do, and it certainly was not right to flout the considered opinions or such a body as the [lmperial .Conference. < WHAT VALUE ABE IMPERIAL CONFERENCES? “The present Government changed the poiicj oi its predecessor wu.lilu.ujj and lor political reasons. l»neii a Government, pursuqs such a course. Llie most elaborate. cosGy, and uencateij adjusted macniuery in the wond is useless to remedy the mischiei done. And in this case the mischiei is very serious, fhrougli many imperial Conferences the prime .Ministers oi the ixitish Empire nave grauuaUy elaborated a means oi doing things together. All that remained to be done iu order to complete the ‘machineryi was to arrange lor some term oi permanent secretariat to carry over irom coniereuce to conference. “As bir names Allen said in the remaiKamy piaiu-spoaen speech which he made yesterday, mere are two wajs oi forming such a one by means oi the High commissioners already in London and the other by the creation of Ministers specially tor the purpose of representing me dominions in the capital of the Bmpire. But what is the use of discussing such developments when, as Sir James Allen says: ‘The question naturally arises, of what value are Imperial Conferences as at present constituted ?’

THEY HAVE SICKENED THE DOMINIONS. “That is a question for Air. Snowden v who sacrificed everything to political ends, and for Air. itamsay AlacDonald, who was responsible for that deplorable business, to consider. Between them they have sickened the dominions of conferring together. For where is the sense of coming from the other end of the world and spending weeks of valuable time investigating and settling questions of policy if the whole work is to be upset because there hag been a change of Government. The British people have had the greatest opportunity ever given to a nation and they have thrown it away, not through any Jack of machinery, but through lack of wisdom and vision in their elected representatives.” SITUATION UNPRECEDENTED. Several provincial newspapers based leading articles on Sir James Allen’s statement. Amongst these was the “Western Morning News,” of Plymouth. Referring to the High Commissioner’s suggestion to secure continuity of policy, this journal says:— “It is obvious that some arrangement of the kind is necessary if the relations between the constituent nations of the British Empire are not to be periodically strained to an extent which may ultimately reach breaking point. This mav be done by inviting the leaders of Opposition to confer with the Government of the day, or even by giving them seats at the conference on the understanding tliat its decisions will be respecter! all round. It may be objected that this would be a new’ departure in our governmental arrangements. But the situation itself is unprecedented : the relations between the dominions and the Mother Country have within the last quarter of a century taken on new forms which render th© old conventions out of date, and (Continued *t foot of next column.)

something new must be devised to. fit the new circumstances. The precise method to be adopted may very well be a matter for frank counsel-taking between parties, at home and ’ n t-be dominions, to be followed up by interImperial negotiations which will place tho matter for the future upon a safe footing. But we cannot afford to make many more such tactless blunders as have attended the Treaty oHLausanne and the handling of the decisions of the last Imperial Conference.”