IMPERIAL RELATIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1929, Page 11

IMPERIAL RELATIONS

GROWTH OF BRITISH EMPIRE LINKS THAT BIND THE COLONIES. PROBLEM OF COLOURED RACES. “Imperial Relations” was the subject of an address delivered by Mr. C. G. Bottrill at the New Plymouth Victoria League room last night. The lecturer emphasised the difficulty of giving an outline of so wide a subject. The origin of the colonies was fourfold, said Air. Bottrill. Naval and military purposes weie served by the confiscation of Aden in 1839, when the British Government sought to outflank the rising Arab Empire of Mehemet All. Similarly the appropriation of Gibraltar was made for purely naval and military ends.

Again commercial enterprise caused British trades to seek new posts in India and West Africa. The New England Colonics, a third type, were the outcome of religious persecution in the Homeland, while the missionary zeal of men such as Marsden and Lee gave an impetus to colonisation in many of the more backward countries. Finally, the ancient rule of primogenature forced the younger sons to leave Britain and seek new homes in remote lands. All these factors, combined with an inherent desire for naval supremacy, had laid the foundations of the Empire. Speaking broadly, there were two distinct types of colonies —those occupied by white men in their attempts to found new homes away from the parent countries and colonies of exploitation such as the Spanish and Portugese. The latter had generally proved failures as might be seen in the Portugese West African settlements, but the former type favoured by Britain had resulted in an Empire. “There have been many theories of colonisation, but in the eighteenth century those of the acute Frenchman, Turgot, have had the most lasting influence,” said Mr. Bottrill. He likened the rising British Empire to a fruit tree on which the fruit ripened and then fell off. Consequently it became a commonplace to say that the colonies must break away from the Old Country. It seemed a waste of time and money to foster such possessions. The suggestive influence of this theory, working on the minds of the statesmen and people of both the United States of America and of Britain resulted in the loss of the American colonies. '

REVOLT IN CANADA. In 1837 a great revolt in Canada headed by Mackenzie and Louis Papino, set people thinking deeply, and Lord Durham and his two secretaries, E. G. Wakefield and Buller, were sent out to Canada. In their famous report it was maintained that the colonies must be given not only a representative but also a responsible Government. Later Lord Elgin incorporated the essence of the report in his legislation of Canada. There were, however, still two predominating schools of thought—those who did not desire overseas expansion, “the little Englanders,” and those in favour of it. The matter was brought to a head when Queensland seized New Guinea. But when the Imperial Government informed Queensland that they would have to bear the financial burden of the new possession the project lapsed and Germany and Holland appropriated two-thirds of New Guinea.

At this time, just as political thought was fluctuating, Sir John Seely published his book the “Expansion of England,” which contained the statement: “To us England will be wherever English people are found, and we shall look for its history in whatever places witness tho occurrences most important to Englishmen.” This constituted the turning point, and from then on public feeling fostered by the loyalty of colonials during the Boer War and the Nile campaign, was all in favour of colonial expansion. “The British colonies have been classified into Mandates, which are the products of the League of Nations, protectorates, Crown colonies which constitute a large portion of the Empire, and Dominions in tho true sense of the word,” continued Mr. Bottrill. Each of these has its problems, but dominating all are those presented by the vast black population of India and Africa. Until this is solved there will be no real stability within tho Empire. COMMONWEALTH OF NATIONS. “The Empire is a loosely-bound commonwealth of associated, nations bound together by legal and sympathetic ties. The legal aspect, which at present is apt to be overlooked, is to be found in the common allegiance of every subject to the King. Too much emphasis cannot be attached to the recognition of the King in Great Britain or in New Zealand. He is generally regarded as the King of Great Britain, but the finer distinction is necessary to fully appreciate the rulings of the 1926 Imperial Conference. ■

“The Governors of the different colonies are the King’s personal representatives in each colony. The judicial committee is another link, as it is the final court of appeal in every colony except Australia. A fourth tic is the Colonial Laws Validity Act of 1865, which gives to all colonial Parliaments complete power to legislate for their own affairs. Finally, the supremacy of the Imperial Parliament prevents any alteration of the constitution of a colony without its sanction. Other links Which may be termed sympathetic are found in the coffinion language, literature and history. It has been said of the Great War that “the unity of Empire is here complete.” "In recent years a notable aspect of Empire development has been the increase in the power of the Crown. This is a reversion of the old order, as previously English history had been largely concerned with the strife of King and subjects. The political. declaration of the Imperial Conference in 1926 sums up the present position of the colonies as ‘autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any respect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations.’ “There are many conflicting forces in colonies such as South Africa and Canada, and the question is, can these divergencies be reconciled? The solution may lie in a unification of the Empire in a Federal Parliament as is suggested by the Round Table, but the problem against which this project, mjistJcriisli; . ■ ... -•! - I . a

is tho overwhelming number of black’ subjects who would clamour for representation. The only feasible plan seems to be the continuation of. the present loose confederation of Dominions within ono Empire.”