UNITY OF THE EMPIRE

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1930, Page 6

UNITY OF THE EMPIRE

SOUTH AFRICA AND SECESSION. SPEECH BY GENERAL SMUTS. A debate on Imperial affairs was initiated by General Hertzog in the Union House of Assembly a few weeks ago, when he moved a resolution asking Parliament to approve the recommendations of the Conference on the operation of Dominions legislation and merchant shipping legislation, held in London in the latter part of 1929. A speech by General Smuts led to a full-dress debate on the question of secession, which had Jong been regarded as dead, but is now likely to become a live issue again iy Union politics. Giving his Interpretation of the recommendations of the conference, General Smuts declared that those recommendations finally disposed of the eecession issue, because it would be utterly impossible for South Africa to secede from the British Commonwealth without the full and unanimous consent of all the other Dominions as well as the British Parliament. The Nationalisle took the strongest exception 4 to this interpretation, declaring that if right the talk of free association within a Commonwealth was so much ; hyprocisy. Mn Havengaj Minister cf Findnep, chircd/''in' : fWt/4!mt’ il General Smjits’g' '■"j?..'- bi,- ■'■■■■ *■ *

interpretation were correct it would lead to the starting of. the whole secession struggle over again, as the Nationalists could not possibly accept the position outlined by General Smuts. General Van der Merwe, another prominent Nationalist, maintained that with the equality of status enjoyed by South Africa, her. registered voters have ilia absolute right to deqido whether she should secede from the Empire or not. '. , .

The ' Nationalist. member, Mr. Strydorn, then,, “in order to put the matter beyond doubt,” moved as an amendment: “That the House should accept the recommendations of the conference, j provided, dlmt/tl}© „? c ' ferring’.ftp

ing upon Africa’s right to secede from the British Commonwealth.” Other Ministerialists who regarded General Smuts’s speech as throwing down the gauntlet supported Mr. Stry? dom’a amendment, which -js regarded ah’ putting South. Africa’s, right of secession down in black and white. ■’ An Exchange telegram reports Gen-. eral Smuts as sayings “Suppose South Africa declared a Republic or substituted, another Royal House it would require not only. an. Act of the. South African Parliament,..but an Act. of all the Dominion Parliaments. If it was competent for any Dominion to pass & secession law, abolish kingship, or de? ,claro a Republic the result would inievitably. bq ish E^lre? < ;^. vl ,^e; 'sitbe-'A-