EMPIRE PROBLEMS

Otago Witness, Issue 3525, 4 October 1921, Page 8

EMPIRE PROBLEMS

EMPIRE CONSULTATIVE BODY. SPEECH BY SIR JOHN SINCLAIR. (From Ocr Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 27. “The need to-day,” said the Hon. Sir John Sinclair in discussing imperial affairs during the Upper House debate on the Address-in-Reply, “is for tiie setting up of an Empire consultative body, not of a federation with a written constitution. The day for that is still far off.” Sir John Sinclair said that at the Prime Ministers’ Conference which had just taken place New Zealand had been worthily represented by Mr Massey, whoso name was now a household word in the Empire family. A feature of the conference that the speaker had not expected was its decision that the Constitutional Conference should not be held next year. From this it would appear that the consideration of the question whether an Empire body should bo set up to maintain continuous consultation between the different par's of the Imperial Commonwealth, was farther off than ever. The preparation for holding this long-promised Constitutional Conference, which had been fixed, after many delays, to take place next year, and at which this all-important, question was to be discussed in terms of the resolution of the Imperial War Cabinet more taan four years ago, was or.o of the principal reasons for summoning the Prime Ministers’ Conference recently held. The papers had stated that the reason for the postponement of the Constitutional Conierenco was the liopie that the conference would not bo held, as in the opinion of the majority at the Prime Ministres’ Conference tho existing system was more elastio and more capable of improvement than any form of conference or written constitution. “I would submitj” said Sir John Sinclair, ' that federation—a written constitution, — although it is the goal to be aimed at, was not tho alternative, and that its formation at this stage was hardly a practical question. That is not the existing need. It would seem as if this resolution of the Imperial War Cabinet, passed more than four years ago, at a time when tho need of provision for continuous consultation was brought home to members, at a time when the weakness in this'direction of our existing constitution was realised, is to go. If that bo so, I believe it will Da a matter of regret and disappointment to large numbers throughout our commonwealth. The need to-day is for the setting up of an Empire consultative body, not a federation with a ..written constitution. The day for that is still far off. An Empire body is needed, broadly on the lines of the War Cabinet —not an executive but a consultative body that could keep all our parts in touch on questions which concerned the welfare of our commonwealth as a whole, and at he same time would have a watchful care over the trade interests of our people; an organisation which would be representative of the whole, and whose concern it would be to care for the whole. It is an anomaly and a weakness in our constitution that no such body exists today. That the time is not ripe for a written constitution is no reason why the present need should not be filled. A dominion representative on the body I have in mind would be in touch with the whole. Tlipre would be a finger ou the pulse of the Empire, and in no other way would there be more frequent consultations. In no other way could there he continuous consultation than through the medium of such an Empire body It may bo that it is intended to consider the setting up of such an Empire body later on. If that be so it is a matter of regret that no preparation has been made to hold a constitutional conference to consider the question. To pass over the resolution of the Imperial Conference after four years of waiting was to set back the hands of the clock. The reason given for coming to the decision not to hold the conference next year was. cabled in these words:—‘Having regard to the constitutional development that has taken place since 1917, no advantage would be gained by holding the constitutional conference. This reference to constitutional development is what we have heard a good deal about since the signing of the Peace Treaty—the changed status, the status of independent nationhood, that the dominions are said to have acquired. I am of those who do not see that there has been any changed status, or that there is any status of independence. The dominions remain as I submit, and I judge from his public utterances that that is the view of the Prime Minister —undivided parts of our great national whole. That would be specially realised should, unhappily, the Motherland became involved in war. A declaration of war by the Motherland would be a declaration of war by our commonwealth as a whole. For nationhood, for status of independence, on the part of the dominion,? I can seo no legal or constitutional basis. The powers of the dominions are set forth in the Imperial Statutes which constitute them, and those Statutes stand to-day. That there has been some change I admit, but, happily, it falls far short of status of independence. The League of Nations has been in existence for more than two years. It" has to do with international problems of the gravest difficulty. 1 am sure it has the good wishes of us all. Its ideals isre noble, but the League of Nations is. to our people an outside body, none the loss that our nation is represented upon—a system of super-world government, whose tendency, in the case of a commonwealth, constituted as ours is, may he separation. Tt, is a body the measure of whose control the dominions may not be able to gauge for years to come. With the League of Nations' in existence I submit that the need for setting- up an Empire body, a body where our own people may confer apart and alone, where they may consult, if need be. from day to day upon all questions that concern the welfare of (he whole, is greater to-day than ever it was.