COMING CLOSER.

Wairarapa Age, 30 July 1925, Page 4

COMING CLOSER.

The Rt. Hon. L. S. Amery, the new Colonial Minister, is taking a bold and constructive view of the reorganisation of his office. Some time ago he separated the administYattan of Crown Colonies from the relations with the Dominions, and he has now invited the Dominions to strengthen in a very important manner the machinery for consultation and co-opera-

tion with the Imperial Government. For some years past the British Government has continued the war-time arrangement of calling into conference the High Commissioners for the Dominions when any matter of Imperial Or Dominion interest is at issue. This year it has gone farther. Making an experiment with Australia, it invited the Commonwealth to station in London a gentleman who should act as a liaison officer between the British Cabinet and the Prime Minister of Australia. This ofiicial has had access to all British Cabinet papers,, and has been able to keep his Primo Minister fully apprised of the doings of the British Government. Apparently this has worked satisfactorily, for Mr Amery now proposes to extend it to the other Dominions, and he is also ready, if the Dominions desire, to invite the liaison officer to his consultations with the High Commissioners. This is a very great step in advance. The Dominions have for many years now been free of anything whatever in the shape of pressure from the Home Government. They were during the war accepted as co-partners on a very generous basis; and they are now invited to become confidential associates in practically everything that I the British Government does.