IMPERIAL RELATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1685, 27 February 1913, Page 5

IMPERIAL RELATIONS.

A DISPATCH ON DEFENCE. : Soihe comment .is. being made upon a dispatch from the Colonial Office lo the ..Dominion .Governments which was i&ucd as a White. Paper cn January 3, and printed ;in all i the English papers v.'hieii arrived some, little time ago.■■ . The dispatch (which , was sent by tele- . gram on December 10, and withheld from publication by the British Government tor,about four, weeks) was signed by Mr. Ilarcourt, . the Secretary of State for the Colonies. He quoted the following reso: lutioiis carried by the members: of the Imperial Conference at the .Committee of imporial Defence on May 30, 1911: "(1) That one or more representatives, appointed' by the respective Governments of the Dominions,, should be invited to attend meetings of tho Committee/of Imperial Defence when .questions of naval and military defence affecting the Over? sea Dominions are under consideration. "(2) The proposal that a' Defence Com. inittee 1 should be established in' ouch Dominion is accepted in principle, 'l'hd constitution of these Defenoe Committees is a matter for each Dominion to decide." 'Mr. Ilarcourt went on to"make' some observations upon the fact that : 'an 'mport-' ant change—a change of Government, in Canada—had since then, taken place, and he summarised very 'briefly the effect of sOme conversations between his Government and Mr. Borden. Mr. Borden, it appears, expressed the* desire that Dominion Ministers . who : might be' in I ondon should receive, in confidence, knowledge of the "policy and proceedings of the Imperial Government ip foreign' affairs. "We pointed out to him," Mr. Harwurt added, .'that tho' Committee of Imperial Defence is a purely "advisory body, and is not, and cannot under any circumstances become, a body deciding on policy, which is and inust remain tne sole prerogative of the Cabinet, subject 'to the support of the House of Commons." ' ■ Air. Ilarcourt then quoted, as "occnrr ately ropresentings the views of Ms Majesty's 'Government," a passage from one of his owii speeches towards the cud of last year-r-a speech widely published—in which .he said he saw no obstacle or objection "to the Governments of .all the Dominions being' given at' once a 'larger share in' the executive" direction in matters of defence, and in personal consultation and co-operation with individual British Ministers, whose dnty it is to frame policy" here." "I should welcome," he Said, '"a more continuous representation of' Dominions' Ministers, if they wish it, upon the Committee of Imperial Defence; we should all be glad if a member or members of those Cabinet could be annually in London. The door of fellowship and friendship is always open to them, and we require, no formalities of an Imperial Conference for the continuity of Imperial confidence." - '.I'he dispntch concluded with the statement that Mr, Harcourt would be glad to have the opinjoji of the Dominion Governments upon this matter. The question, it is understood, is one which Jlr. Allen is discussing with the British authorities during his present visit ' to England.