EMPIRE POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 June 1921, Page 5

EMPIRE POLICY.

COMING CONFERENCE. LIMITATION OF }TS POWERS. DIFFICULTY IN FIXiNG POLICY. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received June 10, 11.30 p.m. London, June 10. The Daily Telegraph, discussing the constitution and limitations of the Imperial Conference, says there is no Parliament or electorate to whom the conference can be made answerable and it is hardly possible to apportion precise responsibility, for though the Dominion Premiers are consulted and given confidential information the executive authority remains with the, British Ministry, subject to the control of the House of Commons. The machinery for joint action regarding naval defence, foreign policy and in-ter-imperial trade is loose and clumsy and. ought to be amended, provided the amendment does not abridge the rights of local serf-determination, which the overseas communities will not abandon. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. MR. W. M. HUGHES ARRIVES. WILLING TO VISIT BRADFORD. Received June 10, 9.55 p.m. London, June 9. Mr. W. M. Hughes has arrived in London. He stated he was willing to visit Bradford to discuss the wool situation if invited. The conference secretariat emphatically deny the report that Dr. Butler, president of the Columbia University, has been invited to address the Imperial Conference on federal constitutions <fi* any subject. Mr. W. F. Massey says the statement is obviously unfounded, because nobody is entitled to address the conference except on the invitation of the conference, which is as yet not con-stituted.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

VIEWS OF CANADA’S PREMIER. ANGLO-JAPANESE TREATY. Ottawa, June 9. Mr. A. Meighen (Prime Minister of Canada) has departed for the Imperial Conference. He will support a renewal of the Ang-lo-Japanese alliance if it is shown to be in the best interests of Britain, and if it does not involve complications with America. He will oppose any step towards Imperial organisations involving centralisation or the creation of any superior power over the Dominion Parliaments. He will suggest that the organisation should be consultative. A constitutional conference held in Ottawa, including the leaders of all parties, decided that naval and military questions could not be usefully discussed until the strategic situation was clearer and expert opinion had reached a definite stage.