EMPIRE UNITY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 4 February 1944, Page 5

EMPIRE UNITY

SPEECH BY LORD HALIFAX REFERENCE IN ~HOUSE OF COMMONS London, Feb. 3. In the House o f Commons last week; when several members expressed a view that the House should have an early voice in discussion of certain Empire post-war problems, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Attlee, replied that such a debate would serve no useful purpose at this stage Yesterday Mr E. L. Granville (Ind Liberal) asked Mr Churchill whether he was satisfied that the present method of consultation between the Dominion leaders was adequate for day to day co-operation on Commonwealth policy and if Lord Halifax’s recent speech represented the policy of His Majesty’s Government. Mr Churchill replied: “The proper occasion for consideration of such issue; is a meeting between the Prime Ministers of the Empire. It i s hoped to hold such a meeting at an early date. Lord Halifax, in his recent Toronto speech about co-operation within the British Commonwealth was not making any pronouncement on behalf of His Majesty’s Government. His speech, like those of other distinguished figures on this subject, was a valuable contribution to the study and discussion ” Mr Granville: “Does that mean that the House will be given no opportunity to express its opinion on these matters till the Dominion Prime Ministers’ conference?” Mr Churchill : “I cannot imagine how such a conclusion can be read into what I have said.” Following upon Mr Granville’s questions. Mi- E. Shin\vell (Labour) asked Mr Churchill whether he was aware that Mr Attlee had already been reluctant to give a definite reply. Mr Churchill: “I should certainly be bound to imitate his reluctance. The London ‘Evening Standard” in a leader says that closer Empire unity need not mean that Dominion policy should become dependent on British policy; that would certainly be a backward step. Yet. without abandoning their full freedom, it should surely be possible to build closer unity of policy in which a Dominion policy to shape the British policy would be as marked and significant as a tendency in the opposite direction.