The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1925. IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12038, 16 January 1925, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1925. IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

In an butbutfet of indignation a Canadian paper denounces the recent call for an Imperial Conference as a blunder. Apparently it is regarded as, a blunder < because it was called > to consider a particular thing—the Geneva Protocol/ But as far us we can understand 'the various announcements cabled to the overseas, the intention was also to consider a much greater thing 'than any single item of foreign policy. That thing was the establishment of sonje system of permanent consultation which would render the calling of special conferences unnecessary. Now, the establishment of- this-permanency of consultation is a thing of vital necessity. Permanency of consultation has long been admitted as vital to the working , of the Imperial relations. ' But, there has never been a serious attempt to establish any system for the application of the principle, The .-suggested conference was for t-Ke purpose of organising some method of .working-, out of- a situation Vhich produces nothing hut, irresponsible proposals and suggestions from all and sundry—statesmen” and busybodies —which can lead to nothing. , Therefore, the calling of the Conference to do at last that about which nobody ever thought of setting about was not a blunder. The Canadian paper saw this clearly enough, for it stressed the point thus r “The-,, real need of the Empire to-day is to discover some permanent and continuing method of l consultation whereby common action can readily and easily be obtained.” That journal, therefore, ought not to have called the calling of the Conference a blunder. ■ ■That journal, however, A quite, right, in its declaration that the next Conferenceshould be called, “not to determine any single Imperial problem, hut to devise machinery whereby spasmodic Imperial Conferences will be rendered unnecessary.” This seems tq be the thing now under discussion between the Imperial and oversea Governments. So much we learn from the (recently-pub-lished -summary of ,the correspondence that passed, last yepr between the British Government and Mr Stanley Bruce, (the Australian Prime ’Minister, regarding the present system of consultation between Britain and the dominions in matters of foreign, policy and general Imperial interest. In the published reference at Melbourne, we are given Mr Bruce’s views,oh the subject,- condemning the present lack. of system—virtually the absenoe of anything practical in the relations between the Gov-, ernments concerned— Mr Bruce stated that” “greater efforts should be made ,to bring-before the Governments of the dominions the 'future course Of events in foreign affairs, so that the views of the latter might be ascertained in time to bo of. guidance in the policy to be followed.” This is practically a repetition of what Mr Hughes said some years ago. It is less pointed than the statement of Mr Hughes, who roundly declared that there wafe no consultation whatever, and violently denounced the Imperial. Government for treating, the dominion Governments as if their only function in.the federated Empire Were the endorsement meekly of every Imperial edict. We know; from what took place at the War Council, that Mr Hughes’s statement was a greatly exaggerated presentation of the case, made with the want of tact of a man Buffering from “swelled liedd. 1 ’ Mr Bruce’s more moderate statement is more convincing. Contenting himself with declaring that greater efforts should be made, he proves the whole matter has at the present time

very lukewarm attention from- everybody concerned.

Here we get the crux of the matter. ■Nobody is bothering, but something muht, nevertheless, be done. What Can be done P Mr Bruce thinks the setting up of an Imperial Secretariat would solve the difficulty, which must be solved, and solved soon, if the Empire is to endure against all possible pressure from any side, at any moment. Others have different solutions, varying from giving special powers to the High Commissioners, .-to the appointment of oversea Ministers to reside in London and he members of a sort of committee of Imperial consideration. At the present stage it would be useless to go deeply discussion of these details, for the purpose of choosing some way out. This because the overseas seem to have turned down the suggestion for a conference to discuss the matter. The next best thing to a conference is correspondence by cable and ' mail. ■ This ought-to ho inaugurated and kept going. That- course might lead to the establishment of a good working consultative system warranted to stand any pressure, even of menace of war. If it did that, any system proposed 1 would be acceptable provided it secured - the certainty of efficient consultation. We doubt whether any discussion by correspondence could arrive aij such result. In the- absence of agreement to confer settlement by. correspondence might be tried. But when that breaks down, a Conference will have become impera 7 tively necessary. And as conference is the only method of threshing out tho many difficulties of the situation, we. can wait for a conference with serenp hearts. The sooner it comes the better. ' '