A LITTLE LESSON

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16211, 8 December 1926, Page 4

A LITTLE LESSON

A. FORTUNATE CONNECTION

CAPETOWN, Oct. 22

As bearing cm General Hertaog's attitude concerning "national independence" the Cape Times relates an incident which has been common knowledge in Capetown, but litis never yet appeared in print. Onco upon a time —we need not specify the year nor the place —there was a certain foreign squadron which paid a friendly visit to South African waters (narrates the Times). At one of the other ports two officers in uniform went ashore to see a cinematograph show. When seated among the audience they were rudely accosted by a commissionaire and told to clear out as Europeans . only were admitted to the hall. They protested, but were offensively compelled to go. They reported at once to their Admiral, who requested the Mayor to bo good enough to meet him next morning. At the meeting he addressed t lie mayor in terms approximately as-follows :

"Mr, Mayor,—Your town is in a province which is part of the Union of South Africa, the Union of\South Africa is a Dominion of the British Empire, the British Empire is the friend and ally of m v country. It is a fortunate thing for your town! Guod morning, Mr. Mayor." Our foreign friends behaved like gentlemen throughout, and it is unnecessary to add that the Union Government of the day made.a suitable amende honorable.

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. If at the time, comments the journal. General Hertzog's theory of internationally recognised . independence had been in practice it is possible that our friend the Admiral . might have done something more than point a useful moral, and might ha'va mulcted the South African municipality within whose limits the incident took place, in a sharp payment in compensation, and- there would have been none to say him nay. In such a case it would be a problem .of power, and where is South Africa's power? We derive it from and share it with the British Empire, but we cannot conceive of any constitutional arrangement which foreign powers will recognise whereby we, as a Dominion, will be in the British Empire when we want to be for purposes of,security, and outside it, when a Prime Minister thinks it will pay us better to be independent for the occasion.