UNITY OF THE EMPIRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23528, 17 June 1938, Page 11

UNITY OF THE EMPIRE

CLOSER THAN EVER DUKE OF KENT’S MESSAGE (From Ouh Own Corfiespondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, May 25. “At the present time the Empire is closer in its unity than ever before,” the Duke of Kent declared at the Empire Day banquet of tilt Combined Empire Societies. A distinguished gathering, numbering some 1500, was present, including representatives of all the dominions, India, and many of the colonies. The High Commissioner, Mr W. J. Jordan, accompanied by Mrs Jordan, represented New Zealand. “The world has moved far and fast since I attended your last banquet,’ the Duke of Ke..t continued. But therq has emerged one great future—the unity of the Empire. It is the realisation that the Empire is in practice what we all hoped in theory that it might one day become. The Crown is more than gold and jewels—it is the link binding the British Commonwealth of Nations; it is the link binding the ideals of these nations into a solid unity, working for peace, prosperity, and for the benefit of mankind. “If the Empire is to continue its great influence for good throughout the world,” he added, “ we must maintain that unity evenly and consistently through every phase of its development Unity is the very corner-stone of its fabric, and u that comer-stone were ever displaced Its whole character would be changed.” The .Duke added: “ I met somebody the other day who made a remark which impressed me very much, ‘We are,’ he said, ‘in great danger of losing all our standards of judgment. There is practically no principle which 20 years ago was absolute which has not been discarded.’ “I do not entirely agree with him, but I think there is a great deal of truth in what he said. We are in great danger of deceiving ourselves into the belief that all this change is progressive, and unless we maintain some stable and guiding principle for our everyday affairs we shall find that, in reality, our progress has been retrogression. PERIOD OP GREATNESS “If we remember the Empire, if we honour and love it, and if we look upon it as the mainstay of peace, order, and civilisation In Its highest sense, then we may make the twentieth century a period of greatness in the history of the world. I hope that this will be our achievement and our contribution to the welfare of mankind.” The Duke also referred to the value of the work of the Empire societies. They helped to make contacts, and added to the realisation that Empire unity must never be thought of as something which only showed itself in times of crisis and war. HARD MAN TO FOLLOW

Lord Stanley, making his first speech as Dominions Secretary, said that it had always been his ambition to be appointed to that post, a desire that had been intensified by the very happy six months he had spent as Under- ■ Secretary. Mr MacDonald, however, was a hard man to follow. He had never put a foot wrong, and his culminating feat had been the happy outcome of the Anglo-Eire negotiations. The Dominions Office, he added, appreciated very much the work that the various Empire societies were rendering. They had done a tremendous lot to foster relations in all parts of the Empire, and in making visitors feel at home in England. Formerly, the English had rather bad reputations as hosts. Visitors had declared them to be "All right when we get to know them, but by the time we know them it is time to go home.” Thanks to the societies, England was rapidly losing that reputation, and it was quiteimpossible to exaggerate the service they were rendering. HIS FIRST LETTER Mr MacDonald said that the first letter he had received on taking over his new post was addressed, “Mr Malcolm MacDonald, British Minister’s triumph, Dublin and London.” It came from a distant part of the Colonial Empire by air mail, and he had to pay 4d postage. He opened the letter with keen anticipation, and read the following message:—“ Please send me 500 rupees as cheque or notes currency order. I am here.” Then followed in great detail the name and address of the sender. The letter was handed over to the tender mercies of the Colonial Development Fund Committee.

Mr R. G. Menzies, Australian Attor-ney-general and Minister of Industry, said that the first problem with which the British Empire was faced was that of making the British voice as effective as possible in the cause of peace. If we were to make ourselves felt we must speak with one voice.

A second problem was that of preserving our democratic system of government in the world. This would require great thought and great positive action on our part. By that he did not mean action against other nations, but intimate domestic action in our minds and in our own house.

Referring to the question of dominions independence, Mr Menzies said: “The dominions, while conscious of their independence, are conscious that their independence depends upon the independence of them all.”