ANGLO – COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13456, 8 April 1907, Page 3

ANGLO - COLONIAL NOTES.

[FTROS! OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

LONDON, February 22. Mb. Frederick Pollock writes expressing his full agreement with Lord Tennyson that it is neither practicable, nor desirable to set up an Imperial Council with power to issue "authoritative advice." Any such authority, ho holds, would be " inconsistent with Ministerial responsibility, both here and in the self-governing colonies." "In fact, ho says, "I am not aware that any such proposal ha? been seriously mado of late year-. The Premier of Now Zealand is, indeed, reported to have spoken of a 'responsible Imperial Council,' but what meaning ho attached to that epithet does not (in the absence of the full context) appear. Both ' responsible' and ' irrcsponsib.c' are much-abused words, and easy to misunderstand, even when used correctly. The ono thing needful, in his opinion, is effective continuity between the periodical meetings of the Conference of Premiers; in other words, a permanent secretary at the head of an intelligence department in touch with all the States of the Empire, not for getting India and the Crown colonies, while outside the permanent staff there should be an ascertained list of persons competent and willing to supply confidential information and serve on special committees—the peaceful scouts of the Empire.

In relation to the present Radical attack on the second chamber of Parliament, Mr. Richard J ebb refers to the case of New Zealand. Discussing the New Zealand reform of 1891. he quotes with approval the dictum of Mr. W. V. Reeves, that "the Legis'ativo Council is now ' not so strong an obstacle to the popular will as tiro the elective Councils of certain Australian colonies,' yet," Mr. Jebb goes on to say, "the nominated Councils, however restricted or limited, come in for their full share of hostile criticism from time to time. If a Government remains in offico for several terms in succession, as lately in Canada and in New Zealand, it can use its power of advising the Governor so as to leave the second chamber pretty well packed with its own friends when at length the other side succeeds to office. Even where, as in New Zealand, the term of membership has been limited, it may yet bo that a n«w Government will find the second chamber irremediably hostile for the first four or fire years of its career. Nevertheless, despite the agitations which arise periodically against the second clmrnber in Canada an'! in all the Australasian States, it seenis that popular fee.]in ; cannot yet bo stirred to make any sweeping change As a choice of evi's British democracy deliberately prefers a Conservative second chamber."