“Family Of Nations”

Northern Advocate, 11 August 1938, Page 12

“Family Of Nations”

[British Official Wireless. 3 (Received 10 a.m.) RUGBY, August 10. The Attorney-General of Australia, Mr R. G. Menzies, made a statement on unity in Empire policy. “Modern relationship between Britain and the self-governing Dominions.” he said, “seems to me to require constant contact, and real determination each to understand the other’s point of view, and recognition of the fact that a frank and full exchange of Ideas at a relevant time is essential to ideas and policy which is, in my opinion, vital to the Empire. “Having now completely established a substantial independence of the constitutent members of the Empire.” he continued, “we should concentrate more and more on the devising, not only of machinery, but of a point of view which will preserve the essential unity of the Imperial structure as a whole.

“I see nothing derogatory to the independence of any Dominion,” he went on, “in the proposition that a united British Empire policy must depend upon two elements. “Firstly, a Government of Great Britain which recognises that on all large matters, particularly of international policy, it is speaking in fact not only for the inhabitants of these islands, but for British people all over the world, and. therefore, that it must go as far as possible before arriving at any decision, and also to invite Dominion criticism and attach proper weight to the Dominion’s view. “Secondly, the Governments in each of the Dominions which realise that, as members of a closely-knit family of nations they are responsible, not only for handling their own problems and policies, but also for effective contribution towards Empire policy and real Empire security. “In other words,” he concluded, “let us all realise that the independence of each of us is, to some extent, dependent upon tire independence of the others. Let us more and more think in terms of British unity and how we can make it an effective instrument of peace and justice in the world.”