THE CONFERENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7448, 24 May 1911, Page 7

THE CONFERENCE

OPENED YESTERDAY SITTINGS PRO IS ABLY HELD IN CAMERA. ■ NEWSPAPER CRITICISM By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received May 23, 11 p.m.) LONDON, May 23. The Imperial Conference is to be opened at the Foreign Office at 11 o’clock this morning. Tho Conference will sit here on four mornings weekly, and other mootings will be held as necessity arises. It is likely tho press will be admitted during Mr Asquith’s speech of welcome to tho delegates. The Conference will afterwards decide whether the subsequent proceedings shall be open to the press. Tho “Daily Express” says: “Once in every four years tho Prime Ministers of the Dominions spend a month in England, and wo show our sense of tho privilege of getting to know what they have to say by making it impossible to hear their voices. The “ Morning Leader ” hopes that, without impairing the efficiency of the Conference, a satisfactory method will be found of gratifying the very natural public desire to hear what such welcome visitors ns Sir Wilfrid Laurier, General Botha, and Mr Fisher have to my. THE REAL TASK MAINTENANCE OP ONE IMPERIAL FOREIGN POLICY. (Received May 24, 0.10 a.m.) LONDON, May 23. “The Times” states that the Imperial Conference of 1906 established am equal national status of tho five constituent parts, and declared itself a Conference of Governments with Governments. As such it re-assombles in 1911. The question of national ■ status being settled, the question of national responsibility takes its place. Shall these Governments have five foreign policies, or be jointly ' responsible for one policy? There can bo no doubt about the answer they will give. Sentiment indicates it oven more clearly than interest, for, come what may, the peoples of the Empire are determined to be one. But sentiment will not solve how, in practice, a single policy is to bo maintained. That is the pressing problem this Conference must face. The need can, only be met by closer touch between the five Cabinets during all tho mouths of'every year. The Conference may not bo able to agree on an immediate stop towards that end; but it will have done much if it only demonstrates the urgency of such steps. The importance of tho present Conference is in relation to foreign relations and defence. These subjects will be for the first time the main subject of discussion. , ' PAST ACHIEVEMENTS FEDERATION, DEFENCE, TARIFFS AND PENNY POST. LONDON, May 22. The “Daily Mail,” discussing doming events, asks: “Is it not a good omen that the Coronation and the Imperial Conference should happen in the same year? Past Conferences were directly or indirectly responsible for the confederation of Australia and South Africa, the creation of colonial armies and navies, the reduction of tariffs against British goods, and penny postage. Even more important is the effect the Conferences have had on the opinions, tendencies, and policy throughout the Empire.” The “ Mailemphasises Australia’s protest against the Declaration of London. THE SECRETARIAT. RECOGNITION OP DOMINIONS’ NATIONALITIES. (Received May 23, 10 p.m.) LONDON, May 23. . The “Daily Chronicle” anticipates that the first development at the Conference will be the recognition of the national status of the dominions, by their separation from tho rest of tho colonies. The programme shows how large is tho sphere of co-operation in various matters. If the first stop in tho development of the Conference be the development of tho Secretariat, may not tho Secretariat bo Imperialjaed? asks the “Chronicle.”