Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, MONDAY, JUNE 29, 1925. SECRETARY FOR THE DOMINIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16768, 29 June 1925, Page 6

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, MONDAY, JUNE 29, 1925. SECRETARY FOR THE DOMINIONS.

The recognition which has been accorded llie Doniinions hy tho creation in the Imperial Government of a new department dealing exclusively wiiln their affairs as distinct from those of the Crown colonies, and bringing them presumably more closely into touch with the Cabinet, is to be still further advanced by a visit from the Secretary of State, Colonel L. C. M. S. Amery, which is promised for next year. The announcement will be received with gratification, not only because of the personal charm and high,, standing of the Minister who is to visit us, but because the visit will afford proof of the desire of those who are in authority at Home to come more closely into touch with the Dominions and to view the problems of the Empire from a broader aspect than can be gained through books of travel, Imperial conferences or discussions at Westminster. Colonel Amery is a man whom it must be tv pleasure to meet. He has quite a distinguished record. During the war a colonel in charge of troops in Serbia received word that an officer, who was also an M.P., was being sent to him. The colonel snorted. He had a low opinion of fighting legislators. When the officer in question showed up the contempt of the grisly colonel turned to disgust. The man who stood before him was a size or two smaller than the battalion bugler. The Great Man looked the newcomer up and down and snorted “What can you do?” “Well, 1 am .willing,” replied the brand-new officer. “ Well, since it is quite certain you are no soldier, yon can take this handbook on Serbia and come back in six weeks and let me see how much of it you have digested.” “Certainly,” said the little probationer, “I think 1 ought to be able to master the handbook in six weeks, I happen to have managed to write it in ihroe.” What the colonel said is not recorded. The little officer was no less than Mr. Amery. Mr. Amery, says a London contributor, weighs less than the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but. his very big head, which looks much too big for his diminutive body, contains almost as much information as those great tomes. He is a superb' linguist. He took a Double First at Oxford, mastered fifteen languages, ancient and modern, wrote standard histories, and carved out a political career which is sis yet nowhere near its end. In the House of Commons, where he has sat tor fourteen years he is known as “the Pocket Hercules.” At Oxford he was a brilliant all-round athlete as well as a brilliant student. Before lie left Oxford with his fellowship he became intrigued bv polities, and formed his

groat, ideal of Empire, unity from which he lias never deviated. Like many another man, Amery wandered into journalism accidentally. After Oxford he wanted to see something of the world, and set out to explore the Balkans, from which he sent brilliant little articles to the Times.’ Moberly Bell, ilien editor, saw in this work the born journalist. Amery returned home, was called to the Bar, and went into Fleet. Street, becoming assistant foreign editor of the Times under Si" Valentine Ohirol. In LS!I!) he was sent to South Africa to write up political prospects there and on war breaking out became head of the Times war correspondents. He was so thorough that he got. cables that lie was ruining the paper by his lavish expenditure. He cabled back: “Make it up by publishing a Times history of the war.’’ The result was nine years work for Amery, with the six volume official history as its fruits. Later he entered politics, but fought, and lost four elections before he got in. “A tiny man with a great big head, bright eyes gleaming behind gold-rimmed pince-nez, a mouth like a cupid's bow and a square jaw—such is Amery today. He believes in ‘mens sana in corpora sunn. ’ ” He never allows himself to get out of training. He is amazingly strong. One day Mr. Buchanan, member for the Gorbals Division of Glasgow, shouted his opinion of Mr. Amery across the floor the House. Ho misnamed him “swine” and “guttersnipe!” Amery sat. with, purple face until the Speaker had left, the chair. Then he walked over to his insulter and asked him if he had heard aright. Being assured, he let fly with a straight right and the Glasgow member measured his length. Amery served in Flanders, Salonika and the Balkans. When he was returning home on the ill-fated Caledonia, a German submarine torpedoed the ship and all hands had to take to the boats. The boat in which Amery sat. was followed up by the U-boat, whose officer scanned its occupants with his glasses. Amery was' not persona grata with the Germans just then. In fact, they knew he was aboard the Caledonia. It was then that, for the first time in his life, Amery thanked his stars that he was vest-pocket size. He concealed himself between the stcerman’s legs and escaped detection. Amery’s real chance came when flic late Lord Milner was taken into the War Cabinet. Milner believed in the little fellow —ns did Kitchener, who referred to Amery as “that, clever little chap.” Milner made him assistant secretary; and, later, put him into the Versailles Wav Council. When Milner went to the Colonial Office in 1919, little Amery followed. There he distinguished himself as an indefatigable worker and strict disciplinarian. Later Churchhill asked for him when he took over the Admiralty. Luck once more favored Amery. Lloyd George crashed, and the new men came in. Amery, so far only a financial secretary, placed his tiny person in the large chair of the office of First. Lord. Although his political and military life has been crowded, Amery has managed to travel more than most politicians. He has always held the view that the Englishman does not know his Empire as lie ought and, for his own part, he can claim to be the exception. Canada, Australia, and the East —he was born at Gorakhpur, N.W.P., India—not to mention Europe, which he knows like the back of his own hand, he has explored. Everywhere he has been his keen eyes and alert brain have taken in the facts of thq new ground he has been exploring. Amery is in'his right job as Secretary of State for the Dominions. His qualifications j mark him out pre-eminently for the post, and in deciding to come at first opportunity to- visit the States nf the Empire and gain first-hand knowledge of their views and requirements he is doing the right thing, and will, so far as Now Zealand is concerned, receive the heartiest welcome.