Rhodes Lecture.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 20, 23 January 1914, Page 5

Rhodes Lecture.

* THE BRITISH EMPIRE. THE KING’S PREROGATIVE. [jdy Electric Telegraph—Copyright] Times— Sydney Sun Special Cables. London, January 22. (Received 8 a.m.) Mr Sydney Low, in his Rhodes lecture ou the governance of the British. Empire at King’s College, said it was within the prerogative of the King to disband the entire militia of armed forces and dismiss the officers; to sell the Australian naval squadron; set asido the judgments of every Dominions court; and tojiand over Queensland to Japan. That was the legal conception, although there wasn’t one thing enumerated that the King could even take the first steps towards doing, hut by this assumption and hypothesis ol the Crown’s supreme and universal authority, the Empire was held together, its value being fully recognised by Colonial constitutionalists.

UNITY OF EMPIRE.

London, January 22

The lecturer continuing, said that on a superficial view, the Empire lacked nearly all the elements of unity, as there was no community of race, language, or religion; no common coinage, marriage, naturalisation, bankruptcy, commercial, or land laws, and no Empire flag. Legally, there was a [common unity law in the supremacy of the Crown, and the comprehensive powers which that law attributed to it. The law did not recognise the Empire. It recognised only the Dominions and possessions of the Crown. In spite of the legal and theoretical supremacy of the Imperial Parliament, colonial 'opinion was moving towards an equality of institutions. There was no inclination overseas to question the authority of the Crown, though there was a disposition to restrain, within narrow limits, the technical supremacy of the Imperial Parliament.