EMPIRE IDEALS

Hokitika Guardian, 31 July 1926, Page 3

EMPIRE IDEALS

[Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.]

LONDON, July 29. In the House of Commons, on the rr second reading of the Consolidated Fund Rill, Mr J. 11. Thomas initiated c a discussion on Dominion matters. He , commended Mr Amery's attitude on tho constitutional difficulty in Canada. r It ought to go on record, he said, as a definite statement that, whatever view s a, Governor-General took, he acted on his own responsibility, without interg ferenec of any kind from Downing St. ! Mr Thomas made an appeal in favour of keeping Dominion affairs away ; from party controversy. ] Viscount SJ.indon contended that the . Dominions should take a share in f shaping the Government's policy. j Colonel Angus McDonnell advocated , that the Secretary of State should vis- . it the Dominions whenever the oppor- , tunity offered to acquaint himself i with their difficulties and problems. I Mr Amery, replying, said that in view of the amount of work involved . and also the growing complexity and importance of Dominion and colonial affairs, he was inclined to think two offices of secretary of state for the Dominions and the Colonies ought fo bo separated. Dealing with the Imperial! Conference, he pointed out that the British and Dominion Governments did not interfere with each other. The Ljominions were partners. They were just a.s independent as Britain. A difficulty w'as that the Imperial Conferences largely <Jcal£ with executive policy, for which only the Governments could take responsibility in continuity of policy. Referring to migration, Mr Amery agreed that there should be some form of inter-imperial consultation, not on a, strict party basis, which would contain tho nucleus of an organisation that wolf'd meet the need of progress in Empire settlement. He asserted that the whole business of settlement of emigrants must ho done by the Government on the spot. The whole essence of the British policy was to recognise tTie responsibility of the Dominions for their own settlements and choice of settlers. At the forthcoming conference he intended to press for more elastic interpretation of some of- the rules applied by the Dominions in the choice of settlers. The Empire Marketing Committee had already done much in the way of publicity to help, the British public to realise the extent to which it was possible to obtain Empire supplies. Mr Tom Johnston. (Labourite), advocated the hulk purchase of the Dominions’ exportable surplus for distribution hero nt cost price, so that every working man ami woman might have a share in the dividend of it. Mr R. J. Boothby, (Conservative), said he was convinced that, ultimateely, the establishment of an Imperial Zollverein would be necessary to compote with the American mass produetion, and with 'a possjlile Central Ku- j ropeain Zollverein. headed by Germany.