IMPERIAL VOICE IN PEACE CONDITIONS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2437, 16 April 1915, Page 5

IMPERIAL VOICE IN PEACE CONDITIONS

AN ASSURANCE TO THE DOMINIONS London, April 14. Mr. Lewis Ilarcourt (Secretary of State for the Colonies), speaking in the [louse of Commons, intimated that he would consult the Dominions fully and personally when the time to discuss peace arrived. - Replying to Sir Gilbert Parker, Jlr. Haicourt said that aftev the outbreak of the war tho Government had assumed that it would not suit- anyone's convenience to hold a norm-il Imperial Conference in 1915, but'no communications had passed with the Dominions. "Earlv in December," he added, "1 was privately aware that Mr Fisher (Keder.il Prime .Minister) favoured a during, and in spite of, tho war, I t-olearauhcd this fact privately

to other Prime Ministers, and they uh • animously agreed that a conferenoe' would be difficult, if not impossible. In two cases the attendance of Ministers was impracticable. I then informed Mr. Fisher that in view of such practical unanimity I hoped he would recognise its force. He replied that he did not wish to press the matter further. ' : ' ' ■

A few days ago Mr. Fisher was reported in the Press as saying, with reference to the Imperial Conference: 'What the British Government considers to be the correct thing is good enough for my Government, and in a private letter to me on February 15 he wrote: 'I cheerfully.fell in with the decision not to hold a conference this 1 year, though I am unable to convince myself that the reasons for e postponement are sufficient. However, we have n policy for this trouble that gets over all difficulties—when the. King's business does not fit in- with our ideas we do not press This is an admirable example of the spirit with which the Dominions deal with Imperial affairs during the war."

"In these, communications I referred only to what I carefully called a normal conference, whereby I mean a full conference, with paraphernalia, miscellaneous resolutions, protracted sittings, and shorthand reports, resulting in Blue Books. This sort of conference we thought imsuitcd to present conditions, but in January I telegraphed to each Governor-General: 'Inform your Prime Minister that it is the Government's intention to consult him most fully, and, if possible, personally, when tiio time arrives to olsuiss possible terms of peace.' I-need hardly add that the Government intends to observe the spirit and 'the letter of this declaration, which I believe has given complete. satisfaction to the Governments of the Dominions."