The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 May 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.

WEDNESDAY. MAY DUli. IP2Y ( ANADA AND I HE K.MPIIiE. A roNTlillil 1 lON in I lie di-riis-ion ot Empire all,-ms ti 1 1- 1 is in some respects inter, -ling is made by a correspondent of lla* Hound Tulile m an article dealing uilli the altitude of Canadians 10"itrtls ipiestions ol ltu|ciial totisiiliation aid co-openit ion. Ihe editor ul the Kcttii.l ’I able Hint- the article.

witlimit expressing tits 1 on. tirrriice, he ean.se he believe- it important lint Hit point- of view ileliiied hv the correspondent should he iinderst-eml. At tin outset, tlie correspondent avers that the Canadian (ioveniinetit's virtual refusal for tlie second time within a vent to discuss any measure of Imperial cool oration "imlpies, it anything, a stiffening in the attitude of cautious resistance to Imperial commitment' which has lately become so prominent a feature of Canadian opinion.” In seeking to justify this rather sweeping statement, the eorresp. indent credits Canadian critics of Imperial co-opera-tion with holding. amongst other things, that ‘‘it is precisely the Imperial aspect of British foreign policy that, as a rule, diverges I'urtliesl train Canada's (though not 1 crimps from Australia's) obvious interest. - ' St)

great, it would he pointed out. an Canada’s own undeveloped rcsimnc, (he goes on to observe) that her inter est in the exploitation of Africa am the Cast must continue for an imloii nite period to he eonlinetl to the' pos sihlc effect of colonising rivalries 01 the peace of Europe. With Brit .in the chief liberal Lower oi Europe, she has found grounds for co-operation lielore, and may again, though the possibility depends upon the luture eifeetiveiiess of the League of Nations; but between Britain, the supreme mercantile Lower of the old world, committed to vast commercial enterprises in the Orient, and Canada, a relatively undeveloped and still mainly agricultural country in North America, it i impossible to assume anything approaching identity < I interest; and yet. the argument will conclude, it is precisely oil this assumption that Canada is invited to m-operate in Imperial affairs. These opinions imply on the whole such a poor and narrow conception of the Empire partnership that it must lie hoped that they are not by .n\- means as widolv held in Canada

as the correspondent v. h> airs them appears to imagine. It is presumably iimlerstod in Canada, as it is in Britain and in other parts i.f tin* Empire, that in i iiv partnership i t nations, as in any partnership of individuals, there must be an element of give and take and some pooling of interests which ate not wholly identified. The extent to which Imperial co-operation is hindered hv the more or less divergent detail aims anil interests of the jjartmsr-nat-iims of the Empire, is. however, a question worthy of serious practical consideration. It is going to an unwarranted extreme to suggest that because Britain is heavily involved in foreign trading ventures the nations of the Empire are thereby debarred trom standing together to give a worthy lead in international affairs and incidentally do what is possible to safeguard their own security. At the same

time it is a matter of common sense to recognise that tlie iml ispen sable fnunilation for Imperial co-opie ration is a community of interest between the nations of the Empire, anil that in the extent to which this community of interest is broadened the Imperial partnership will he strengthened and made more effective. Looking at matters from this standpoint, the fact which stands out commandingly to-day is that Britain is making remarkable efforts to establish a closer working partnership with other Empire countries. She cannot speedily transform her condition as a nation in trading contact with the whole world, hut that she is endeavouring with a considerable measure of success to concentrate her resources jnpre and pioro on Empire development and on the expansion of trade within

tin? Empire is beyond question. Positive evidence is not wonting of the progress made in this direction. Before tlie war. for institute, Britain was annually investing a much larger

amount of new capital in foreign countries than in other Empire countries. In the five years to 1(121. her total investments in foreign eotuuries amounted to ClDt'.o-IG.iMK) as eoui|>ared with £.'JG2.M 1 .GOt.l invested during the same I cried in oversea Km| ire countries. l.ast month Australia obtained a loan of twenty millions sterling in furtherance of migration and settlement on which Britain is to pay half the interest for live years and a third of the interest for the ensuing live yea is. It is open to other Dominions

to obtain British i n vest men t capital on similarly advantageous terms, hut they have thus far neglected tile opportunity. In the ellorts the present British Government is malting, under diliicultics. t.i develop Imperial preference, and in its decision to spend a million sterling annually in fostcriii. Km].ire trade, there arc other eviu en.es of Britain's determination to broaden the r. •.miimuity of .interest which provides an assured foundation for Imperial co-operation. It is to facts such as these, rather than to the difficulties inherited fioin an older time comments the Wellington “Dominion’’ that we should look in estimating the inherent strength and power for good of the British Commonwealth of nations.