IMPERIAL CONFERENCES

Otago Witness, Issue 3662, 20 May 1924, Page 22

IMPERIAL CONFERENCES

LABOUR. GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE. LONDON, May 14. Mr J. IT. Thomas (Colonial Secretary), speaking at a dinner given to Mr E. G. Theodore, Premier of Queensland, at the Hotel Cecil, made an important statement in reference to the Imperial conferences. Mr Thomas said : “I know it is a delicate subject, but I believe it better to speak' of things that ought to be discussed than merely of pleasant things. I recognise that there are many people of Great Britain and the dominions who are anxious, indeed apprehensive, about the outcome of the British Government turning down, even ruthlessly, recommendations solemnly arrived at by the Imperial Conference, but it was only blind party politics to assume that there was only one side to such questions. There arc two, and I want to face them. I believe it was a mistake to bring the Dominion Prime Ministers to deliberate and reach conclusions with the Government here, when there was a danger of the conclusions being repudiated, either here or in their own dominions. This happened in reference to the last Imperial Conference through a change in the Government here. Steps should be taken to prevent a recurrence in the future. I have a watertight solution to offer, and I think party feeling could be avoided if instead of only the Prime Minister attending the conference the loaders of the recognised official oppositions in Great Britain were also to attend, with the result that united instead of party decisions could be reached. Questions of Imperial concern, and of Empire development, should be lifted out of the realm of party politics.’’