BRITISH EMPIRE’S GREAT EXAMPLE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18960, 6 January 1930, Page 1

BRITISH EMPIRE’S GREAT EXAMPLE.

GENERAL SMUTS URGES CLOSER CO-OPERATION. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, January 4. General Jan Smuts, the South African statesman, made a remarkable speech on the British Empire at a ‘ luncheon given by the Canadian Club at Montreal. General Smuts said that he felt it was the unique characteristic of the Empire that it had given scope and offered opportunities to small peoples as no Empire of the past had ever done. The British Empire had deliberately set itself to encourage a variety of types and institutions, and to procure an interwoven pattern in which scope was left for every kind of diversity. Since for smaller peoples there could be no better or more beneficent system, he held that they should be foremost in preserving it, as a guarantee for their liberties and privileges such as they could secure by no other agency. He claimed that the Empire had served as a working model for the League of Nations, and expressed the belief that the existence of the Empire was the best augury for the permanent success of the League, which was achieving invaluable results. Continuing, General Smuts said that the last ten 3 r ears had been spent in elaborating the status of the dominions, and securing them constitutional equality with the Mother Country. Th i help and good will of British statesmen of all parties had always been available, but this achievement was only half the battle. He urged that the next ten >-ears might be given over with the same zeal to the achievement of closer co-operation and of real solidarity in policy. He made this plea as a man who had given some of the best years of his life in fighting to escape from the British flag, and he spoke as no lover of Imperialism as a doctrine. He felt, however, that the British Empire was an institution of unique type and of inestimable value, and that its citizens would’ show little evidence of political sagacity and foresight if they did not hand it on undimmed in vigour to their children, so that it might play an even more beneficent part in the world’s affairs than it had already done.