STATUS OF THE DOMINIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 November 1929, Page 3

STATUS OF THE DOMINIONS

t £oXlfiki AFIiICAN VIEW. m —U )?;rV !.!, fi U! ' liii'i x .■

THE!ROLE ; OK. HIGH f cbiLMisSiONER. 7

•' , LONDON, October 11. ■' It isr not often' gatherings, to welcome ’an incoming High Commissioner fromjonb of the dominions yields m,pre thanihcsommonplgce., . speeches, m||dp4'iast night ! atjjthe*£fopth' Afric.an. dixttipri to weleomfe Mr! Charles Te- WatpV— who by the : way travelled over yvith General Smuts, who has come overVto give the annual Rhodes lectures some, '. definite. pronouncement on the subject .which is at presenttbeings so: keenly-. disnussed* rJT -r., ]\lr Te Water gave his view- pf .the ufee" of a-CovPrniiieut .etffS;cp in London. He they would always find? at the oi|e of the High Commissioner an openf.vtloor and a sympathetic ear,' with preference,, for the legitimate private ,intfrests 6f his country, a read£ ness to ||ye advice to anyone in difficulties, hiid to give assistance,:tp,South African fsitudents.. % hppeale<i'|,to South, j§|ricans .'JpVehgek to co-operate, with in 'io' holdf.hi&h ther nara|f anjM&roe^f^hqfc#oipitr£ and to gun rd j jeaTotlsdy^lts; tradition of good sp#smjx|lE^-;^<^^t^-deaii,

Mr Erie Louw, bis predecessor, who has been, appointed South, African Minister' Plenipotentiary in Washingtvas fa rewelled at the same time, apcCdie spoke with the experience of a year of office in London behind him. Mr Louw , said the status of the High' Commissioner in London he did not resatisfactory, The Imperial Conference of. 1926 laid it down that the dominions were equal in every respect to Greatiritiin—that each was a full international''• unit.'-’ - -' Ih this country the was not on the level of bven the smallest of European States: jThereVhad- • been- attempts to improve slie status, but nothing which fell shor&iof the status-given to the representatives,- of - the... .sjnallest States who wei^lresident in. London would be of mucli’ipse. , f t -He expressed, the hope that within a reasonable time that matter fV.tmld hte satisfactorily solved. H alf-measures were qf .very,,little value. South iifi-ica as an international unit was entitled to the srfiflef consideration and status as Great Britain accorded to the of any other State in London. ,- - , . Lord Passfield-fSeprOtary-pf State for Dominion Affairs and for the Colonies) proposing-: the - health--,.0f. the chairman, said there was a Jittle difficulty in regard to what one might call the diplomatic titles and domestic designations. The Union of South Africa was, of course, a full international unit, but it Ws also something more—something even greater—it was an integral and full member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. They could not have it both ways, or conveniently put representatives of the British Common- ' wealth of .Nations on the level of strangers or foreigners to this country. Mr Louw also stated that he regretted that there appeared to be a lack of understanding in Qreat; Britain as regarded some of the big. problems in South Africa, and to appreciate that thqre ya?, two sides to every .question. There unfortunately was a tendency to

regard \yith,a.- certain measure of sus- '■ picioh the policy of the Government in to, p»wer to .carry out in the spirit as well j n the letter the resolution of the operation 'between Great Britain and South . Africa was not only desirable, it was essential, but such an understanding could not be secured in an

atmosphere of misunderstanding and distrust. He appealed particularly to the Press of Great Britain for an impartial view of some of South Africa’s problems and difficulties. The Press could do much to dispel these clouds of misunderstanding which undoubtedly existed.