PAISLEY BY-ELECTION.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 17780, 31 January 1920, Page 11

PAISLEY BY-ELECTION.

LONDON, Jan. 29. Mr Asquith, in a speech at Paisley, discussing constitutional and electoral reform, advocated a second chamber which to the extent of onethird would consist of nominated distinguished public servants in a non-political sphere, such as the bench or public service, or Dominions. He went on to say that there must be a change in our Imperial system. Prior to the war a feature was the growing disposition to take into confidence representatives of the great self-governing Dominions. That procedure had been developed. We must have a very loose and elastic system, not bound by red tape or any permanent convention under which in all vital questions of Imperial policy affecting the Empire as a whole you will be able to bring into consultation with the Imperial Cabinet in London the Dominions as free parties with us in that gigantic institution which has grown up almost by a series of miracles, viz., the British Empire. He did not favour a scheme of Imperial Parliament, in which the Dominions would be directly represented, but would promote an increase of inter.communication between ourselves at home and the colonies. The only way to keep the Empire intact was to combine unity with complete local autonomy.