IMPERIAL LABOUR CONFERENCE

Southland Times, Issue 17934, 27 January 1917, Page 5

IMPERIAL LABOUR CONFERENCE

ITS SCOPE AND CHARACTER. IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY LLOYD GEORGE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, January 25. Mr Lloyd George, interviewed by a correspondent of the United Cable Service regarding the Imperial War Council, said :—“I have urgently invited the dominions’ Premiers, because I desire their advice and assistance in coming to decisions on the conduct of the war and the negotiations for peace. I regard the Council as the beginning of a new epoch in the history of the Empire. The war has changed us and taught us more than we yet understand. It has opened a new age to us. We want to go into that age together with our fellows overseas just as we have gone through the darkness and shed our blood and treasure together. Nothing affecting the dominions in the conduct of the war or the negotiations for peace will be excluded from the purview of the Council’s meetings. Domestic matters affecting the United Kingdom will be the only reservation.” Replying to a Question whether the discussions would include the fate of the German colonies, Mr Lloyd George said that would be one of the obvious questions but there ware many questions of equal moment and all would be thrashed out and the war policy of the Empire clearly defined, besides post-war questions such as demobilisation, the emigration of our people to different parts of the Empire, the settlement of soldiers on the land, and commerce and industry, in reply to another question he said lie could not hesitate to break precedents at such a time. The Empire had thrown itself and its very soul Into the war and they would be falling in their duty if they did not take every possible step to see that its leaders got together from time to time.