HIGH COMMISSIONERSHIPS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22066, 23 September 1933, Page 10

HIGH COMMISSIONERSHIPS

The status of the dominions’ High Commissioners could not have been discussed at a more suitable time than the present, when the Federal Government has appointed Mr Bruce as its representative in London and the question of a successor to the High Commissioner for New Zealand is being canvassed in this country. At | the British Commonwealth Relations i Conference at Toronto this matter was [ considered conjointly with the related | question of the desirability of creating an Empire secretariat in London. The Conference decided that the establishment of a secretariat was not desirable, but it favoured the bestowal of diplomatic status upon High Commissioners. It was suggested that were this latter step taken the High Commissioners would be competent as a group to handle problems associated with foreign ; relations should the occasion arise, and : that it would have, the advantage of : freeing the appointments from their I political character. The delegates to the j Toronto Conference have, of course, no i official standing, and their conclusions ! are merely the expression of their i individual opinions. It should be recog- | nised, however, as was emphasised at the ! Conference of the Institute of Pacific Relations, that their unofficial nature does not detract from the value of such gatherings. The argument that the High Commissioner’s office should be ' divorced from politics is the more interi esting, therefore, as it is employed by responsible citizens with no electorate to consider in the formation of their decisions. It must be recognised that, while they have not abused their patronage, successive Governments have made appointments to the High Commissionership serve the purpose of rewards for party service. The office is one that is so exalted that merit and fitness for the position should be the only considerations governing an appointment. In present circumstances the duties of High Commissioners are concerned largely with the promotion of the commercial interests of the countries they represent. Yet the position is somewhat analogous to that of the ambassadors of foreign nations. The dominions by the declaration of status that was adopted at the Imperial Conference of 1926 are autonomous communities, equal in status to Great Britain, and in no way subordinate one to another in any respect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown. As a consequence of that declaration, the High Commissioners are now kept au courant with affairs of Imperial policy by daily communication with the Dominions Office. The appointment of Mr Bruce as High Commissioner for Australia terminates the experiment instituted by the Commonwealth Government of including in its number a Minister resident in London. It was inevitable that the difficulty of keeping a Minister who resides abroad fully in touch with Cabinet and with his constituents should arise sooner or later. In his Ministerial capacity Mr Bruce has rendered a signal service to Australia in arranging the loan conversion operations which have already effected a great saving, and will yet effect a still greater saving, in the interest payments that have to be made annually by the Australian people.