THE EMPIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 June 1921, Page 5

THE EMPIRE.

VOICE OF DOMINIONS. fLEA FOR HIGHER STATUS. IMPORTANCE OF UNION. By Telegraph.—-Press Assn.—Copyright, Received June 13, 12.45 a.m. London, June 11. Speaking at the Rhodes trustees dinner at Oxford. Mr. W. F. Massey said he held strongly the opinion that greater opportunities faced Imperial statesmen to-day than ever hitherto in the Empire's history. He hoped the opportunity would not be missed at the conference to do something of substantial benefit to the citizens of the Empire, particularly in the direction of defining the Dominions’ relations to each other and to England. Mr. Massey strongly favored the principle of partnership between the nations forming the Empire, but a partnership carried duties and responsibilities in addition to rights and privileges. There was serious weakness in the present system of conferences up to the signature of the Peace Treaty, when the War Cabinet did magnificent work, its decisions on important subjects being the decisions of the whole Empire. Since then the Dominions had not enjoyed representation in Empire government, which was not satisfactory to loyalists oversea, and ought to be righted. He wanted to see arrangements and an understanding reached tending to keep the British stock and native races, which sd loyally stood together during the war, united in such a way that it would be impossible to break up the British Empire.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.