CLOSER UNION OF THE EMPIRE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 276, 18 May 1917, Page 4 (Supplement)

CLOSER UNION OF THE EMPIRE.

A recent number of the "Journal of the Society of Comparative Legislation"' contains an article by Mr A. P. Poley, which will interest many citizens of the Empire who feel that the war has given an impetus to the movement for still closer union of the British political communities. Mr Poley reviews at length the various proposals put forward in such notable recent works as Professor Keith's "Responsible Govern ment in the Dominions" and " Imperial Unity and the Dominions," Mr Lionel Curtis's "The Problem of the Commonwealth," and Mr Basil Worsfold's "The Empire on the Anvil."

His own most interesting contribution to the discussion is a suggestion for the establishment of an Imperial council, which shall be a ?ivt of federal executive, responsible, noi to a federal legislature, 'or whioh he holds the Empire not to be ripe as yet, but to the several Parliaments of the United Kingdom and the Dominions. His idea 's that the different executives for the Empiro should be unified for Imperial purposes, but remain separate 'for strictly national purposes, agreements arrived at by them collectively for Imperial purposes being carried out through existing national agencies—governments, parliaments, and so on. The agreement wiuld, in fact, form, part of the programme which each executive would in the ordinary course of business submit in the form of bills and resolutions to ihe parliament to which it was itself responsible. The unification of tlio executives for Imperial purposes could be effected by making the Privy Council ail Imperial body, by making all Dominion Cabinet Ministers Privy Councillors. Equality of status would then be established for all the Dominion and Motherland Ministers. The operative part of tln< Privy. Council for Imperial purposes would then be a committer <.f the Cabinet, an Imperial Council whose activities through the different Govenments in co-operation would permeate the Empire, providing for its defence, fostering its commence, and breathing into it a new spirit. Tf would be a continue;: ; body, though its personnel would change with changes . f government-. Mr Poley confesses that there would be considerable difficulties to overcome in the creation of such a council, but contends that they would not bo nearly so great n=) those which surround the institution of a Federal Legislature with an executive responsible to it and not to the several Parliaments. Nor, it may be added, would rn Tmper'.d Council of that kind curtail a« seriously as n formal Federal Pu'liamentarv system the existing power' of Dominon parliament.; and 4,0vnrnmenis.