EMPIRE FAMILY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24876, 24 April 1944, Page 6

EMPIRE FAMILY

MIRACLE OF UNITY FUTURE CO-OPERATION REVIEW BY PREMIER By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright LONDON, April 22 "What is this miracle that calls men from the uttermost ends of the earth, some of them riding 20 days before they can reach a recruiting station?" Mr. Churchill asked when replying in the debate in the House of Commons on Empire affairs. He said it could be called nothing else than a miracle. Because of it armies had trailed 14,000 miles to reach the battlefield. "What ,is this force which makes Governments, as sovereign as any that have existed, immediately cast aside all their affairs to join in helping the Old Land against a common foe?" ho continued. "You must look deep into the heart of man, and then you will not find the answer unless you look with the eye of spirit. Then it is that you learn that human beings are not dominated by material things, but by ideals for which they are willing to give their lives." Britons were bound together by their freedom, reinforced by tradition. Their bonds did not depend on anything that could be written down. Natural Development "Here, after our failures, amid the •wrecks of empires, States, nations and institutions of every kind." said Mr. Churchill, "we find the British Commonwealth and Empire more strongly united than ever before. \\ e have not got to consider how to bind ourselves together more closely. It would pass the wit of man to do that." Mr. Churchill said he had never thought that the Empire needed tying together with a string. He agreed that, in natural development, the mysterious natural forces would carry everything before them, especially when those forces were fanned forward as they would be on the wings of victory in a righteous cause. He described how, on the eve of the last war, all foreign opinion, especially German opinion, was convinced that this vast structure of Empire was 'so rickety and so loose that a single violent shock would bring it clattering down and lay it low for ever. He recalled that the contrary was the case and that the Dominions leapt into the struggle as one. "Lamentable Exception" When the Mother Country was geographically involved once more in a struggle in Europe, and found it necessary and right to declare war upon Germany, "instantly, from all parts of the Empire save one lamentable exception, about which we must all search our hearts," came the same response. None of the disillusionments that had followed the last war—war to end •wars, homes for heroes and so forthhad affected in any way the living, growing, intensifying of the inner life of the British Commonwealth and Empire. From the poorest colony to the most powerful Dominion, when the King declared war the Empire was at war. "The darkest moment came, but did anyone flinch?" Mr. Churchill continued. "W 7 as there fear or doubt or terror? No. Darkness was turned into light, which will never fade away." Forging Closer Ties "The question before us is how can ■we make things better; how can we improve our already close ties and gain greater results from them ? Methods must be devised to bring the nations of the Empire into intimate, secret council upon the march of world events, not only during this war—because that has been done with great labour and efficiency—but after the war, so that they will know in full our position and we will know theirs in regard to the inarch of events and action which might have to come from them." The Prime Minister said it had been suggested that machinery should be created on the lines of the Committee of Imperial Defence, but on a larger scale. The question arose whether this machinery should_ be extended into spheres of maritime, economic and financial affairs, and how far. These were, obviously, matters which they must begin to explore together when they met, informally, their colleagues from the great Dominions. Mr. Churchill added: "It will be quite easy to have meetings of Prime Ministers, of the Imperial Conference, every year or more often —on every serious occasion when we get time in peace. It is not necessary that those meetings should always take place in London. They may take place in other centres of our united Empire. Regular Conferences "When peace returns, conferences of Prime Ministers of the Dominions, among whom we trust India will be reckoned, and with whom the colonies will be associated, will, we hope, become frequent and regular facts and festivities of our annual life. "Some assume that there must be inherent antagonism between a world order to keep peace and a vast national or federal organisation which will evidently be in existence. I do not believe this is true. Both world order and great organisation may be so fashioned as to be but parts of one tremendous whole. "1 never conceived that fraternal association with the United States would militate in any way against unity of the British Commonwealth and Empire, or breed ill-feeling with our great Russian Ally to whom we are bound by a 20 years' pact. "In this far greater world structure, which we shall surely raise upon the ruins of the desolation of war. there ■will be room for all generous and free associations of a special character so long as they are not disloyal to the world cause, nor seek to bar the forward march of mankind." CONSOLIDATION NEEDED MORE EFFICIENT ACTION (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, April When the debate on Empire policy was resumed in the House of Commons, Mr. L. Hore Beiislia (Independent— Devonport) said that judged by standards of population ami resources, it was obvious that neitiier Britain nor the Dominions were able separately to stand on the same level as Russia'and America. Some means, therefore, .should be sought, consolidating the Empire and enabling a number of separate countries to act with the spontaneity, coherence and efficiency of a single body. Canada could not belong to any organisation bringing her in conflict i with America. "It. is possible to achieve close functional union within the Empire while retaining our association with America and other countries," he said. "We may he assured that there is no question of abandoning the principle of Imperial reciprocity and that the Empire will remain for all economic purposes a single economic unit." Captain H. J. Scrymgeour-Wedder-bury (Conservative Renfrew) said when our Pacific possessions fell to Japan, critics talked of the effete British as too lazy to defend their Empire and deserving to Jose it. If we were going to be abused, it would be better to be abused for being strong. (Cheers.) Sir Herbert Williams (Conservative — Croydon) said he was glad there had been some straight talking about America. The cause of almost all the difficulty between Britain and America had been that we had been too polite and not frank.