IMPERIAL RELATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19119, 10 September 1925, Page 12

IMPERIAL RELATIONS.

LORD BURNHAM'S PROPOSALS

AN IMPERIAL COMMITTEE.

DOMINION REPRESENTATIVES.

The subject of closer Empire relations was dealt with in an interesting speech by Lord Burnham, president of the Empire Press Union, at a gathering at the National Club in Sydney last week. He advocated the establishment of an Imperial Committee which should sit continuously ir London to deal with Imperial matters, and thus prevent misunderstandings between' Britain and the Dominions.

After a reference to the elasticity of the British Constitution Lord Burnham spoko of the part taken by the overseas Dominions in the great war. When the message .was sent out to the Dominions on the fateful August 4, 1914, Canada at once replied "When England is at war Canada is at war," and Australia respouded in that famous message of Mr. Fisher, Prime Minister: —"Australia is with the Empire to. the last man and the last shilling." All tho other parts of the Empire sent similar encouraging messages of support. ' On a more recent occasion when the British Government was in difficulties with the Turks in Asia Minor and a small British force was beleagured at Chanak, Australia and New Zealand again at once responded to the call of the Motherland, but Canada and South Africa reserved judgment, pending further information. That was mainly because they had not been acquainted with the difficulties of the situation that had arisen, and thero was no medium of letting them know full particulars in the hours of surpriße and danger.

A Necessary Alteration. They did not want to have a repetition of the Chanak difficulty, said Lord Burnham. and there should and must be some way found to keep the Dominions informed of the foreign and Imperial policy of the British Government. (Hear, hear.) With complete co-operation and co-ordination, the Empire coujd survive all attacks that would be made on it, but that would necessitate some alteration in political arrangements so that the Dominion Governments would bo in close touch with London and have an intimate knowledge of every development in Imperial affairs. Even with the improvement in the means of communication there would be a necessity for a personal representation. if he might make a suggsstion, the speaker went on to say, it would be that there be some arrangement for the Dominions to be represented on a Committee of the Privy Council. He did not mean that such a committee should have any executive authority or have any right t<» interfere in even tne remotest degree with the internal administration of any Dominion, Rather, his suggestion wa3 that there should be this Imperial committee to deal freely with Imperial matters, and that it should be one of the duties of the Foreign Minister to attend the meetings of that committee aqd explain in detail what was being done and proposed by the British Government in Imperial and foreign affairu. Direct; Representation.

Lord Burnham sajd that he considered that the various Dominion Governments should be directly represented on such a committee, as it was nis opinion that the High Commissioners were so engaged in looking after commercial matters that they would not have the time to look after the political affairs as well; they certainly could not do both efficiently. (Hear, hear.) lie merely made that as a suggestion on his own behalf. It was quite possible that the Prime Minister of Australia would not approve of it, or he might have a better scheme to offer. If so, it should be propounded.