Implications Of The Problems Faced By Prime Ministers

Chronicle (Levin), 23 April 1949, Page 5

Implications Of The Problems Faced By Prime Ministers

Received Friday, 7 p.m. LONDON, April 22. Disenssmg tlie Prime Ministers' talks on India's fitture, The Times, in an editorial, says that if the way were already clear and easy — or if there was eertainly 110 way to be found — the Prime Ministers and their representatives would no't have to eome from from the ends of the earth to find it. They eome to praetise again the i'aith in discnssion which has riglitly been called an essential feature of the Gommonwealth system. _ • "The result of the meeting, which ever way it goes, will have ,its impact on repnblican desires in other Commonwealth conntries where the tradition of a representative monarchy and seiise of personal attachment to the Royal family are not the strongest. The story of Eire brings us a stern wariiing against attempts to paper over differences with constitntional devices when a desire for eloser union is lacking.

"The seeuritv of India depends to a lrtrger degree than is often recognised, on sea and air poiver whieh is a prime Fafeguard for Commonwealth territories and communications from the Mediterranean to Australia, New Zealand and Houth Africa. "Mr. Churchill once said he ne.ver believed that the Commonwealth needed tying together with bits of string, meaning empty formulae. He might have said it never could be tied together with bits of string. "The over-riding need is for complete frankness and for an agreement, if it can he devised, capable of being accepted as valid and firmly based by the peopies of India and by other Commonwealth peopies and by the rest of the world." The Left-wing Xew Statesman states that the Prime Ministers have to be waro of two dangers. ''The lirst is that of stretching the already tenuous cun slitution until it dissipates itselt into • iiin air. The seoond. is that of ereating a speeial status for India whic.'i might lead, lirst, to a speeial status for Pakistan and Ceylon and tlien to a sp-. ei.il status for South Africa, until fmally the Conimonwealth would be nothing but a eongeries of speeial cases. It remnins to be seen whether India i-iin diseard its subordination to the •'rown as a symbol of Enipire, without severing its allegiance to the Iving as a -vmbol of kinship in the family of free and equal nations which share common •it i/ensliip while retaining complete national sovereigntv. "If a solution - along these lines is found, Labour Britain will have developed for the first time in history

since the fail of Eome, a free citizenship which genuinely transcends race. The full development of , this coacept mvolves defeating the colour prejudice in all Dominions."