IMPERIAL WAR CABINET.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14408, 19 May 1917, Page 5

IMPERIAL WAR CABINET.

STATEMENT BY MR. LLOYD

GEORGE. ,

EXPERIMENT. ABUNDANTLY

JUSTIFIED,

LANDMARK IN EMPIRE HISTORY

PROPOSED ANNUAL MEETINGS.

(Keuter'a Telegramß.)

(Received May 18, 5.5 p.m.) I London, May 17. In the House of Commons, Mr Lloyd' George said he desired to report to the House the very important decisions of the recent Imperial War Cabinet. It was desirable that Parliament should be officially .acquainted with an event which constituted a landmark in tl:e constitutional Hstory of the British Empire; He outlined the events which led up to and * the proceedings of the ( meetings-. The decisions reached would enable us to prosecute the war with increased unity and^ vigour, and would be of the • greatest : value, when the negotiations for peace- were discussed. Tte fresh minds and new viewpoints the Government's colleagues * had brought to bear on. the problems had been an immense help. As far as the Governme^. were concerned, they could with confidence state that the "experiment had been a complete success* Tte imperial War Cabinet was unanimous that it had been of such service not only to its members but to the Emj mre. that it ought not to be allowed jto fall mto .desuetude. He honed an annual meeting wrald be agreed upon

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and would become an accepted convention of the British Constitution. After referring to,the functions of the Cabinet, he said that.it did not attempt to settle what constitutional j developments might evolve." The ques- ; tion of perfecting the mechanism for ■ considering Imperial and foreign affairs between the autonomous nations of the Imperial Commonwealth was reserved;for a special conference to be summoned as soon as possible after the war to readjust the constitutional re- , lations' of the Empire. He believed > the proposal to perpetuate the Im- I penal Cabinet, including India, would commend itself to all the nations of the Empire.