DOMINIONS AND DIPLOMACY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19261, 27 August 1924, Page 5

DOMINIONS AND DIPLOMACY.

NEGOTIATIONS FOR XOXPARTY DISCUSSIONS. NEGOTIATIONS FOR NON-PARTY DICUSSIONS. MR J. H. THOMAS’S SCHEME. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, July 19. A few days ago the Prime Minister had a discussion with the High Commissioners for (he dominions on the subject, of their representation at tho Allied Conference. The action of Canada in regard to the Lausanne negotiations made the Government anxious that the dominions should be fully satisfied ns to the part they should play in the Inter-Allied Conference on Reparations now in progress. Yesterday Mr J. 11. Thomas had consultations at the Colonial Office with (he High Commissioners, and it is understood that ho has come to an arrangement with them under which a panel of dominions’ representatives shall be drawn up. One member of the pane! will attend the meetings of tho Conference with authority to act for all the dominions ; while all the representatives will ho entitled to be present at tho plenary meetings in the capacity of observers. Tile first of these two procedures will give the dominions a direct voice in the decisions of the Conference. This means that one of tho High Commissioners attends the Conference each day as a member of the British Delegation. Sir James Allen was called yesterday, \but not to-day. Sir James was also present last night at the dinner given by the Government at Lancaster House to all the delegates. ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE. Several unauthnnticated statements have boon, made regarding the proposed Imperial Conference that the Labour Government are said to have in contemplation. According to Router’s Agency, the position is simply that negotiations are in progress with a view to bringing about what was in the mind of tho Secretary of State, and to this end a suggestion has been put forward as to the possibility of a meeting taking place lietween representatives of the dominions some time in tho autumn. “In some quarters.” says the Parliamentary correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, “the impression ir> that there is in contemplation another Imperial Conference, hnt there is the fullest authority for stating that the Home Government’s proposal is much more limited in character. Both tho Prime Minister and the Colonial Secretary have called attention iu recent speeches to the necessity of devising some better plan of consultation with tho dominions. It was referred to by Mr MacDonald during the debate last month on the Lausanne Treaty, and the attitude of Hip Canadian Government in declining to ratify the Treaty on tho ground that Canada was not directly represented at Lausanne, Mr Thomas touched on the same subject during the discussions on Imperial Preference, when ho_ urged that it was worth while considering whether the decisions of the Imperial Conference should be exposed to the risks incidental to the change of Government. “The idea put forward by Mr Thomas was that, the basis of the Imperial Conference should be broadened by arranging that the (lelogatlons should consist not merely of representatives of tho Government of the day, but also of the Opposition parties in the various Parliaments. “Communications have been addressed to the dominion Governments informing them of Hie views of the Home Government, and suggesting the desirableness of facing the whelp probli i. U .he difficulties to which the Minister ,u question have referred. The further suggestion was made that it ■would bo Tetter to deal with tho matter forthwith rather than wait for another meeting of the Imperial Conference. If the dominions agreed that it would bo wise to discuss these questions with tho Home Government, tho opinion was ex pressed that in all probability no better method could bo devised than for representatives of the dominions to come to London in fhe autumn. “Finally, the dominion Governments were linked to say it They agreed that it was expedient to hold such a conference, whether they would be prepared to send representatives TEe Colonial Secretary is now awaiting replies from the dominions, and, if favourable to the project, then the necessary arrangements for the conference will be put lb hand.’’