THE KING’S REPRESENTATIVE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 April 1930, Page 8

THE KING’S REPRESENTATIVE.

If it is true that the Australian Government's suggestion that the next Governor-General of the Commonwealth be an Australian has not met with approval in Downing Street the incident is scarcely likely to disturb the equanimity of Empire affaire. The Australian Labour Administration is more or less bound by party considerations and it is ’ quite possible the suggestion in regard to the Governor-Generalship was simply what used to be called a gesture” to encourage the rank and file of the party. The qualifications of the Chief Justice of the High Court, Sir Isaac Isaacs, in regard to ability, character and experience are as high as could be attained by any Australian candidate, though this is not to say there may not be others that are desirable in the man chosen to be the King’s personal representative in any of his Dominions. The rearrangement of 1926 at which the equal status of the Dominions with Great Britain was made clear carried with it an alteration in the ’status of the Governors of the Dominions. They are no longer executive heads of the Dominion Government; they are the personal representatives of the Crown and the medium through which the governance of the Dominions is carried out on behalf of the King by his Ministers duly elected by the people. It is. almost essential that one holding such a position should have had wider experience of Empire affairs than can be attained in any one portion of it, and it would seem particularly desirable that he should have been in close touch with the problems confronting the British Government. A Governor has no official authority to interfere with the decisions of his Ministers, nor is he likely to attempt any such action. That is not to say that he cannot wield considerable influence if he is' able to afford his Ministry advice obtained by actual contact with Imperial affairs. The value of such advice has been admitted by many Dominion Ministers, who would be the first to resent any suspicion of interference with local autonomy. Bearing this in mind it is difficult to see how a local candidate for the office of Governor is likely to have tho necessary qualifications. If he is a leader in public affairs he must have been a- political partisan, and the suspicion would .at once arise that the office was becoming a reward for political service. There are other considerations too which seem to point’ to the wisdom of selection outside a Dominion, for the Governor is necessarily the leader in social as well as in administrative affaire. On the whole it looks as though Australia might be wise to follow the advice of experienced British statesmen and accept an appointment made in the usual manner.