THE DOMINION AND EMPIRE UNITY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 11 June 1926, Page 4

THE DOMINION AND EMPIRE UNITY

THE speeches made at the New Zealand dinner, at which the Duke of York was the guest of honour, were so remarkable, in their eulogy and optimism as to command the attention of every New Zealnnder who loves his country, His Royal Highness the Duke of Yorksaid, "There cannot, be any looking backward for New Zealand, but steady progress in every sphere of activity, and prosperity will be yours in the widest sense." Field-Marshal Lord Allenhy, whilo-praising the beauty of New Zealand and the physique of its people, said he was sure the Duke and Duchess of York would accept the invitation to visit this country, "in order to see a Dominion destined to become even greater than Britain." Lord Jellicoe added his tribute, and then Colonel Amery, Dominions' Secretary, made a cryptic speech which, coming from a member of the British Government, will doubtless be carefully weighed in :iU parts of the

Empire, and in countries outside of it. His words are so extraordinary as to deserve reproduction:—"There is nn foreign nation," he said, "that wonld not gain immensely in power, mtluenre and dignity it admitted to the fellowship of the British Empire. Then- is no nation in the Empire thai .would not lose immeasurably rn moral and material strength, in prosperity, in status and prestige in tho eyes of the world, in the power of influencing thought throughout the world, if it evacuated its place in the front rank among the nations united by the British Crown ' What nations has the Dominions' Sec rotary in mind as likely to seek admission to the British Commonwealth of Nations? Which of the self-governing States of (he Empire does he imngine would desire to sever thefr connection with the British Crown? This last is a grave question. It is difficult to inu agine any pretext on which any of such self-governing States of the Empire would seek to secede, except, it were the plunging of the Empire into war through Britain's obligations under such agreements as the Locarno Pact. The imperfection of the governmental machinery of the Empire certainly seems to foreshadow trouble, if a crisis «mch «* I hat of 1914 should again occur. The crux of the problem is that by Britain's declaring war all tine component parts of the Empire are technically at war and are liable to suffer on laud and sea, The solution of the problem lies in the discovery of some effectual menus whereby the whole Empire can speak with one voice. Here it is that the suggestion of Sir Joseph Ward may be. valuable. Speaking at the Million Club at Sydney on the 9th inst., he R aid : —"The day had passed when the House of Commons with a maze of British problems could completely control the policy of the Dominions on broad issues, and the Parliament he proposed"—an Empire Parliament composed of representatives of all the Dominions and of the Motherland—"could legislate on foreign matters." The suggestion comes from a politician of wide experience, whose patriotism and loyalty are universally acknowledged. Ts is worthy of careful consideration. If it should be included in the agenda of the forthcoming Imperial Conference, it would certainly meet, wtih support from such dominions as wish to strengthen the foundations on which the Empire rests. That (he system at present pi'evailing, whereby the British Parliament controls the Empire's foreign policy, without the necessity of regarding the opinions of the Dominions, may strain the fabric of the Empire beyond its strength, and needs altering. It was the best possible system when the , Dominions were Colonies in' leading-strings, but to-day it is obsolete and dangerous. Whether Sir Joseph Ward's solution of the difficulty is the best or only solution, is not the point raised here. The point which is emphasised by tho speech of Colonel Amery is that if the British Commonwealth of Nations is all he contends it is—and we believe that he is perfectly correct in his contention—then the approaching ' .Imperial Conference should seriously consider what steps can best be taken to preserve (he unity of the self-governing States which own allegiance to the British Crown. The benefits conferred by that unify arc immeasurable. It is therefore a. matter maximum importance that means should be created for conserving those benefits. In the present limes of peace the work may be done. In event of sin international crisis affecting Br.i.liun, the opportunity might he gone for eve:'.