IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 930, 31 January 1924, Page 5

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION. SOUTH AFRICAN DEBATE. By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. R iceived January 31, 9.45 a.m. CAPETOWN, Jan. 30. In tbs Assembly the Labour leader, Mr Creswell, moved: “That in the opinion of the Assembly the promises made by a Governmen: at an Imperial Conference impose no obli Rations on the country or Dominion concerned until ratified by its Parliament, and th it the Assembly dissents from the contrary view put forward by the Prime Minister in a public speech at Johannesburg on December 14.” Mr C ‘reswell declared that a passage in that sp3ech challenged .what he had always conside :ed an unquestionable position. He asked General Smuts to admit his error. Gene al Smuts, replying, complained of the attempt to manufacture party capital, quotinj. a passage in the Imperial Conference’s report to the effect that its conclusions were subject to action of the Government’s Parliaments in the various parts of the Eu piro. .General Smuts stated that this was in ertol at his instance and made the constitutional position perfectly plain. In his Johannesburg speech he took the constitutional position for granted and merely stated iis views regarding the great disaster in the event of the conference’s work being lost. J 1 is wholo argument was to make the British Parliament realise the gravity of the situation from the viewpoint of statesmanship aid expediency, and his speech was adores ed to tile public of Great Britain. Mr. 1? uce took an oven more serious view of the situation than himself. General Smuts expressed pleasure that Mr Ramsay MacDc uald had decided to refer the resolutions to the British Parliament and declared that he still felt strongly that the prefore nee resolution should be carried. General Smuts suggested that Mr Creswell withdraw the motion on the first portion of which all were agreed, while the second was founded on a misunderstanding - . A division would give the British people the impression that South African opinion was divided on the question of preferences, thereby 7 rendering a great disservice to South Africa. General Ilertzog condemned General Smuts's use of the word “must” in the Johannesburg speech. He contended that Gener il Smuts had evaded the point and taken up an attitude weakening South Africans’ constitutional position, suggesting that i renders would one da-y regard themselves as responsible to Imperial Conference instead of to their own Parliaments. Mr Creswell declined to withdraw the motio.i, which was negatived by 61 to 54. Reute:.