PRIME MINISTERS.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14869, 18 September 1918, Page 2

PRIME MINISTERS.

STATEMENT BY COLONIAL

'OKJ'IOE.

[United Press Association.]

Wellington, Sept. 16. J The. Governor-General has been requested to publish the following telegram from the Secretary of State for the Colonies: —There is some misapprehension in regard to the nature of the arrangement recently concluded whereby the Prime Ministers of the Do minions have been given the right of direct communication ivith tlie Prime M'inistor of the United Kingdom on certain nTrttters, and it therefore seems desirable to state th«i exact nature of this arrangement. After preliminary discussion at the recent Imperial 'Wai: Conference, tlu- subject was considered by the Imperial War Cabinet, where on July . 30th the following resolutions were passed:— ; . "(1) The Prime Ministers of tlie Dominions, as members of the Imperial War Cabinet, have the right of direct communication with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and vice versa. "(2) Such communications should be confined to questions or Cabinet importance. The Prime Ministers themselves are the iudges of such questions. Telegrpphie communications ' between the Prime Ministers: shon.ld as a rule be conducted through the Colonial Office machinery, but .this will not exclude the "adoption of a more direct means of communication in exceptional circumstances, in order to secure continuity in the work of the imperial AVar Cabinet and a permanent means of consultation during the war on the more important question? of common interest The Prime Minister of each Dominion has the- right to nominate a Cabinet _ Minister, either as a resident or visitor to London, to represent him at meetings of the Imperial War Cabinet to be held regularly l)etween the plenary sessions.'* It hns recently been stated in the oversea.l? press that dissatisfaction with Colonial Office methods was the nldof reason why this question was raised. The discussion at ilie Imperial CaEinet Conference will shortly be imblished in a Blue Book, and it will then be seen 'that tins statement is cortrary to fact, and thnt the assumption that'the attitude of the Dominions in this re.^pecfc was inspired by distrust of the Colonial Office was expressly repudiated by tiic Dominions' representatives.