EMPIRE UNITY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2147, 3 July 1920, Page 4

EMPIRE UNITY.

VITAT SIR JAMES ALLEN SAID

The cabled report of a speech in London by Sir James Allen, contained references (<> the possibility of. the Dominions separating from the British Empire. The statement has been misinterpreted in some quarters, and to clear the position the Prime Minister sought inlorrnalioli f rom Sir James Allen as to his exact statement. The reply received is as follows: —“I referred to the altered status of the Dominions, the possibility of (lie separation question cropping up, but not in Now Zealand, which, T said, was the most loyal of all the Dominions, and less disposed than any other to chafe at any real or imagined limitation of its freedom. Co-operation and good understanding between the I nited Kingdom and the various Dominionon a basis of self-interest, sentiment, and race would he sufficient to hind the Empire together. ’ It has been suggested that Sir James Allen had in mind the question of communication with the League of Nations, to which lie ieferml shortly before his departure from New Zealand in the following words:— I “New Zealand, for the lime being, 1 think, is satisfied to -end communications through the Mother Country, and will he satisfied to do that for a long lime. It is a question how far the.other policy [direct communication with the League] may lead towards the Separation of flic Dominions, and I believe that steps should he taken that might hb even suspected to he a move in that direction.”