EMPIRE PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2722, 17 March 1916, Page 4

EMPIRE PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION

THE INVITATION TO OUR MEM- | BERS. The New Zealand Government is nob concerned with thfe invitation extended by the British Empire Parliamentary Association 'to four members of the New Zealand Parliament that they should visit London in July, except to this extent, that' some, if not all, of the members of the Government are members of the New Zealand branch of the association. Both of _ tho party leaders, Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward, are members. The rules of the association are that members of such a delegation must be selected by the New Zealand members of the association. Tho last occasion on which any. such general conference as is now proposed was held, was at the time of the King's Coronation, when several conferences were held at which our representatives attended. On that occasion the British Association paid the steamer fares of overseas delegates.' For the conference in July this is not offered, but the British , members will see to the boarding o? visitors in England. The Empire Parliamentary Association, by the way, is composed of members of both parties in both Houses of the British Parliament who are interested in Imperial affairs, and the object of the association is to promote closer relationships and better understanding between members of the Horns Parliament and tho Parliaments of overseas Dominions. Tho Prime .Minister, referring to tho invitation yesterday, said that he did not think many members,of the New Zealand Parliament would wish to go to England in July. In order to do so they would have to leave early in June at latest, and in that month the House would either be in session or about to meet. If an early session proved to Be necessary, it would probably not be over before June, and if there were no early session, any member who wished' to go to England would have to be absent from the who'n session of 1916, which would be a most important one. •