The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 25th, 1925. POLICY OF EMPIRE.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 August 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 25th, 1925. POLICY OF EMPIRE.

C'ommkxtixc on the cMlilcd report of the stiiteinont by Sir Robert ljorden in connection with tlu* need of giving the Dominions an ndeiinale voice in determining the foreign policy of the Empire, a Wellington writer nays, although Sir Kohert Borden .speaks with jl high authority on Imperial problems, there are obvious objections to his proposal that the High Commissioners of the Dominions should be made members of their own Governments and should receive the status of Imperial Privy j Councillors. By sending Resident .Ministers to London—and that clearly is what Sir Robert Borden’s proposal amounts to - the Dominions would ratlier complicate the problem of Imperial consultation than approach its solution. No Dominion Government, would he content to delegate to a single Minister authority to enter into indefinite ■ commitments on its behalf in the domain of foreign policy. What is really necessary is that the several Dominion Governments should he enabled to deal s with issues of this nature in the light 4 of the fullest possible information. The title to he given to Dominion representatives in London is in itself a matter of indifference hut if the Dominons are to retain and develop their present status these representatives evidently must net at. all times under definite instructions from their respective Governments. In these conditions, they I might render exceedingly important services, both in setting the views <;! the oversea Governments before the British Government and in obtaining . from- the British Government all possible information on questions of foreign policy. While Sir Robert Borden’s proposals with regard to representation in London are in a measure open to question, there is no doubt that he went to the heart of the problem of iuter-Iniperial consultation in urging that each Dominion should develop and strengthen its department of external relations. The apathy of the Dominions in this matter is simply not open to reasonable explanation. In this country, for instance, we have a Department of External Affairs which is concerned solely with the administration of a few island dependencies. Fairly elaborate provision has been made for dealing with these comparatively limited responsibilities, but we have hardly begun to make provision for dealing with the vastly greater and more important responsibilities of our Imperial partnership. More csncci.in view of the prominence that has heen given since Parliament met to the problem of the European Security Pact, it is astonishing that this state of affairs should be allowed to continue. It i-, not at all unlikely that within the next month or two the Dominion may have to decide for or against the ratification of a Security Pact—that is to say, may have to decide whether or not to lieeome a party to an international undertaking hacked by military guarantees. The people of this country certainly are not content to enter blindly into engagements of ( this character, and the only effective , alternative to take the course advocated by Sir Robert Borden of develop- ( ing and strengthening a department < ] external affairs. Providing itself with 1 the Parliamentary and official machinery which would enable it to keep i ‘ continuous touch with the Mother Country on problems and issues of fo- , reign policy, New Zealand would he I i

in a position to (leal on their merits with questions like that of the Security I'ju-t. So long as these indispensable measures of organisation are neglected, we must either follow the lead of the Mother Country blindly or pursue a policy of mere drift.