The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1916. A HINT OF PROGRESS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2915, 30 October 1916, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1916. A HINT OF PROGRESS

It was not exactly a formal utterance in which Mr. Massey told the members of the Pilgrims' Olub, a day or two ago, that New Zealand was holding German Samoa for the Empire, but intended to keep it. Yet the statement, refreshingly explicit after the numberless generalisations on the subject of Imperial policy and organisation with which we have been inundated during the past year, is one that no responsible man would be likely to make without feeling very sure of his ground. It is therefore well, worth noting not merely on account of its immediate import, but because of what it implies. As Mb. Massey observed, Now Zealand seized, and ' is holding, German Samoa on behalf of_ the Empire, and though this Dominion is very vitally interested in the ultimate disposal of the onetime German colony its disposal is a matter to be determined by the Empire, which for practical purposes is the Imperial Government. The Dominions which have seized or conquered German colonies are of course entitled to expect that their interests shall be studied when the time for_ settlement arrives, but tho satisfaction of their wishes is wholly dependent in the first instance upon 'the measure of recognition and approval accorded them at the centro and headquarters of the Imperial organisation. Wider questions still are opened up when account is taken of the Allied Powers with which the Empire is leagued in tho war, but for the present we are concerned only with the. position as botweon the Dominions and the Mother Country in regard to the disposal of the conquered German colonies. From the standpoint of the Dominions this is one of the most vitally important questions involved in the ultimate settlement. There is no formal machinery which would enable the Dominions to influence the conditions of settlement as a _ matter of routine procedure, and if the absence of this machinery wero a vital matter tho outlook would be in tho highest degree unsatisfactory. Thore is indeed a very widespread fear that the Imperial Government may require stiffening when the matter of peace . terms comes up for decision. Fortunately there is some reason to believe that the absence of formal machinery does not by any means exclude the possibility of a settlement saisfactory to the Dominions, and tho latest indication to that offect is the statement which wo havo noted above, made by Mb. Massey to the rilgrims' Olub in London. He has said in plain words that New Zealand intends to keep tho qnemy colony which its forces occupied in the opening days of the war. Those who know him will account it most unlikely that ho would make such a statement idly or without warrant. It is much more likely, that ho made sure of his ground boforehand and spoke, as we havo already suggested, with a due sense of responsibility. With his colleague, Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Massey has been in sufficiently close touch with the leading members of the Imperial Government to ascertain at first band, and much more definitely than it is possible to do from statements made in general terms by these Ministers, their attitude and opinions in regard to admitting tho Dominions to an effective voice, in tho settlement of' those matters of foreign policy in which they are most immediately concerned. In the circumstances we must suppose that Mr. Massey has reason to believe that the Imperial Government will look at tho question of the disposal of German Samoa from a truly Imperial standpoint, taking account of Dominion interests as well as of purely British interests.

It is obvious enough that any settlement which ignored or yielded "imporfect recognition to the just claims and aspirations of the Dominions, more especially in regard to the German colonics, would betray a serious failure of the Imperial organisation and darken the outlook for/ the Empire. It is equally obvious that a settlement satisfactory to the Dominions must involve a big forward stride from the conditions which bore on the determination of foreign policy in the days before the war. So far as foreign policy is concerned the position of the Dominions hitherto has been that of partners without an effective voice in the general concerns

and certainly with no -trace of executive authority. Of the familiar examples of these truths we may cite two which arc mentioned by Me. Lionel Curtis in the Problem of the Commonwealth, In 1883, after ineffective negotiations between the Imperial Government and the Governments of the Australian States on the subject of New Guinea, the Queensland Government, on its own responsibility, annexed that territory. Its action was promptly repudiated by tbe Imperial i Government. This case afforded a very clear demonstration .of the irepo-. tenco of the oversea Dominions to take an effective part in foreign policy- even when the neglect of action meant that a, foreign rower was left free to occupy a strategic base menacing Australia. In the same year, 1883, the New Zealand. Parliament, passed a Bill authorising the New Zealand Government to annex any island in the Pacific not claimed by foreign Powers. The Bill was vetoed by the Imperial Government. In the motives actuating the Imperial Government on these occasions questions are involved which _ to some extent still await, determination. The Queensland Government was not in a position to meet tbe heavy cost of administering New Guinea nor to shoulder the indefinite responsibil-, ities entailed; and in those days, before federation had been accomplished, there was no way, or at all ovents no easy way, of -obtaining a firm guarantee that the Australian 'States would unitedly take up the burden. Similar considerations governed the repudiation of land's action in .regard to the Pacific islands. The Imperial Government declined to study and serve Dominion interests at the expense of the British taxpayers, and to establish precedents which would have committed it to an extension of the same policy. Thus a line was drawn which it is evident must now be passed if the future integrity and stability of the Empire are to be as far as possible secured. Tho annexation of tho German colonies is a vital matter to the Dominions. We British people in the outlying regions of the Empire cannot willingly tolerate the restoration to Germany of the colonies which she developed very largely as strategic bases, with a view to ultimate aggression and conquest. Mr. Massey's statement which we have quoted is in itself very definite, and it [presents a hopeful indication that the policy for_ which the Imperial Government will be mainly responsible in reference to the war settlement will take full account of this fact. The right ! of' the Dominions to be considered to the extent here outlined Ihas_ been broadly established by their participation in the war. Remaining obstacles to the-institution of a truly Imperial foreign policy involve the. acceptance by the Dominions of now and permanent responsibilities, but should be largely matters of detail adjustment and, not insuperable. • ,