The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1918. EMPIRE-PARTNERSHIP

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 283, 19 August 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 1918. EMPIRE-PARTNERSHIP

The British Government's suggestion that each of the self-governing Dominions shall have a Minister permanently stationed in London, if ratified by the Dominion Parliaments, will-mark another stage in tho progressive realisation of that great ideal of Imperial unity which regards the British Empire as a community of free nations, with eq]Li! rights and privileges and responsibilities, co-operating for the benefit of each and all, and organising their resources for the common weal. The new departure in Empire government will mean that the- Dominions have made another step, with the cordial concurrence of the Motherland, towards full partnership in the management of the Empire's business. The War Cabinet grew quite naturally out of the Imperial Conference, ftnd the. success of that experiment has just as naturally led on to permanent Ministerial representation in London. Before the Dominions secured a place in the War Cabinet they were usually consulted by the .British Government on the eve of important departures in Imperial policy, butnpw they_ have been given the right by voice and vote, in co-operation with British Ministers, of controlling and directing the Empire's internal and external relationships. The Dominions do .not claim, nor do they desire, power 1 to interfere in the domestic affairs of the United Kingdom, and they would certainly resent any attempt on the part of the British Parliament to infringe upon their privileges of self-government; but they do claim the right to an effective voice in the settlement of questions and problems in which they are as vitally interested as their kinsfolk in the Homeland. A recent writer remarks that in the past the Parliaments of the Dominions, and the people they represent, have been, from the constitutional point of view, as helpless as the most ignorant native in the humblest dependi ency as regards foreign policy and the issues of peace and war. This state of affairs involved a serious limitation of our powers of selfgovernment, inasmuch as it ignored the connection between responsibility and representation. We did not enjoy the same measure of self-gov-ernment as the people of tho British Islands.

Canada already has a permanent Minister in' London, and ifc is obviously desirable that-New Zealand should be represented in a similar way. Itis essential that our wishes and point of view should receive authoritative expression. Our representative must be one who is directly responsible to the Government, Parliament, and people of this Dominion. First-hand knowledge and direct responsibility aro absolutely necessary qualifications. The immediate purpose of this latest experiment in Empire politics is to ensure that the Dominions °hall be in a position to exercise their rightful influence in directing tho war. , policy of the Empire and in solving the problems which will arise when the time comes for settling the terms of peace. In these critical days surprising developments may occur at any moment. Wo must always be in readiness for the unexpected and the unforeseen. Prompt decisions vitally affecting our interests may have to be made with reference to matters which will brook no delay. It is therefore of the utmost importance that wo should have a Minister on the spot ready to take part in tho deliberations of the War Cabinet whenever his presence may be required. When we think of the constitution and duties of the Imperial War Cabinet we get some idea of what the British Empire stands for. It is indeed, as Mb. Lloyd George recently said, the most wonderful federation of human beings that tho-world has ever seen. He had tho privilege of presiding over the first War Cabinet. Sitting round. thto table were representatives of over 400,000,000 human beings. "Most of the great races and the great faiths .of the world worn represented. It was an aggregation of many great nations through their representatives to concert the best methods of establishing right and justice on the earth." That was truly, as the British Prime Minister declared, "a fine start" for that great Council of Empire. , ■ It is not at all likely that the proposed new Cabinet of Governments will cease to exist when the war is over and tho peace settlement has been arranged. Such a step forward will never be retraced. Forms and machinery may be varied, but it is a practical necessity that the Dominions should be- granted an 'increasingly effective voice in Imperial affairs as time goes on. It has been said that the members of the British racedo not possess in a high degree "constructive imagination of the more grandiose sort, but they have an instinct for the 'next step' which has often set them on paths which have led them further than they dreamed." By their "unique endowment of moral qualities and practical gifts, coupled with unrivalled opportunities," they have become the pioneers in modern times in tho art of human association. By experience the States of which the Empire is composed are learning the art of living together iii unity, peace, and concord. Empire organisation is a long task which has no finality. The ideas and institutions by which we arc guided and governed have- been handed down from age to age, and have grown in the process. They are growing our oyes. Tho_ establishment of a permanent Cabinet of Governments would not solve all the problems of the British Empire. Each new ago will have its own • special difficulties, and must deal with them in it's own way, but what we are now doing must have a very ■■ powerful influence on future developments. The participation of the Dominions in the making of the peace treaty which will terminate this war will undoubtedly establish a precedent which will have a direct bearing on all treaty-making in times to come.' Professor Macjdonell, of London University, is probably right when he contends that this problem will not be solved by slavish imitation of the constitutions of other federations, or by an elaborate system of checks and counterchecks. Recent developments indicate that more simple and clastic methods will be adopted. But as regards this and other aspects of the Empire's organisation and constitution the British method is well

expressed in the words of Edmund Burke, who advised his countrymen to look steadfastly at the facts beforo them and to be guided by iho wisdom of the hour. In this way wo will work out as we go along ;i scheme of Imperial unity which will express our national 'deals and characteristics and fit in with our special needs and circumstances.