IMPERIAL UNITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 9, 5 July 1911, Page 7

IMPERIAL UNITY.

THE COUNCIL OK DEI'IiNCE.

SIR JOSEPH WAlil) ON THE COX FERENCE.

"NOT IN THE LEAST DETERRED."

(From the Wellington Times' Correspondent.) London, May 20. The dropping of his Imperial Council scheme leaves Sir Joseph Ward unmoved. The New Zealand Prime Minister did not expect that the Imperial Conference would adopt it. He recognised fully that time was required before sutu advanced proposals as he put forward could hope to meet witli general accept-

In an interview which Sir Joseph Ward grunted me this afternoon he explained why he withdrew his resolution at the conference, instead of putting it to the vote. He also gave an interesting forecast of future developments as regards the relations of t.ie Mother Country an.l the dominions on the subject of Imperial defence.

WITHDRAWAL OF RESOLUTION'S. "The - system adopted at the Conference of not putting resolutions to the vote." said Sir Joseph Ward, "may convey the impression that the withdrawal of niv resolutions indicate that I was not justified in bringing them forward. But that is not the case.' As a matter of procedure at the Conference, there is a general understanding that all resolutions that cannot be carried unani-

mously are withdrawn instead of being put to the vote. '•The principal reason for that is, if out of the whole of the representations of the'-British (lovernmeiit and tlie over-

sea dominions one group is at variance with the rest on a matter of importance, then no system of uniformity can be established", no co-ordination can he achieved.

"That applies to the resolution moved by me regarding the Imperial Parliament of Defence. "I need hardly say that I never contemplated carrying it at this Conference. As 1 said—though it has not been reported ill the official precis—l fuiiv recognised that in a matter of the ki«» tnat time was necessary m any proposal for a change. It was necessary to enable the Conference delegates fully to grasp 1 the nature of the proposition. Apart that the first necessity is the education of the public. "Until the Blue Book containing the full report of this Conference is available. 'the greater portion of the arguments submitted by me must of neceasity he withheld. That, among otliet was why I was anxious that tfc» press should be admitted. I regret exceedingly that the Conference was not favorable to this. 1 CHANGES IMPENDING. , "But I feel persuaded that, notwithstanding the fact that the present proposals were opposed !iv the delegates at the Conference, some important changes m the not distant future regarding the drawing together of the oversea dominions are imminent.

"There always is. especially in the older lands, a tendency to allow things to stand as they are. But from conver-

sations I have had with many representative men 1 find a great change of public opinion in the direction of establishing some effective Imperial machinery. It lilav be at first in the shape of an Advisory Council, so that all matters affecting all parts of the Empire may be discussed, and the Covernments, both by suggestion and advice, recommended to adopt uniformity of action in the general interests of the whole. LOCAL NAY IKS. ''For instance, there can be no doubt —and T brougnl tnis matter out at the Conference, though it was unreported in ine precis—there can be no doubt that the Canadian legislation in reference to iEs local navy puts that Dominion in a different position from any other dominion in the matter of defence.

"In making provision for u local navy the Canadian Act provides tlmt Canada riVnot to take part m a war in which England is engaged unless she agrees with the purpose of (lie war. On the face of it that presents a very itillieult position.

"It, suggests that in time of n war in which all parts of the Empire may he involved one of the great dominions elects hy legislation to have, the right of .standing aside, and to take no pnrt in the war. I have no doubt that in

actual practice Canada would eome in

just same as other parts of the Empire. Hut the fact remains that that country does insist on its right to stand aside, and it is suggestive of the almost impossible position of one portion of the liiitish dominions electing to be at peace when all the other portion, without consultation, are drawn into the consequences of a war by the action of tin) British (iovcrnniMit without any reference. to them beforehand. "I believe the only way to overcome the anomalies that exist, and to have uniformity of action, is by the establishment of some system whereby the voice of the people of the dominions

can lie exercised through their representatives. giving the latter the opportunity of fully discussing, fully considering, and reporting to their respective Covennnents beforehand what the general position is. HOME IU'LE AM, ROUND.

"In submitting the resolution in the form I did 1 recognised there is a great change imminent in connection with the national division of the United Kingdom and Ireland on the ipiestion of local Parliaments. The movement is tending hero in that direction. And when they have, as they will have before many years have passed, a system of national Parliaments for the respective national portions of the British Isles, then of necessity there must hi' an overriding Parliament. .Inst as the Federal Parliament exists in Australia, the Dominion Parliament in Canada, and the States Parliament in Washington, with the subordinate Parliaments in the respective States of those countries. "So that I think it is as certain as

I iiiti cxjivc-ssiiitr my views to you, Ihsu before many years a similar position will )m- reached in the I'nited Kingdom. "I think that a great deal of good lias

been done by discussing, oven on advanced lines as I have done, the <|iiestion of having nil Imperial Parliament of 1 )e----fenee. It will, ill my opinion, finally ventre upon the Imperial Parliament which will remain when the independent Parliaments in the I'nited Kingdom are established. That ought to he the opportunity for the statesmen of England to formula to a practical scheme for the inclusion of representatives from the several Dominions. It must he a reconstructed and reduced Imperial Parlia-\ lnent, for a great deal of the work which devolves upon the Imperial Parliament now must of necessity be spread over the several national Parliaments destined to arise in this country, IX NO WAY DISMAYED. ! "I do not feel ill the leas! deterred |by the decision arrived at. I accept. (V j views of those opposed to mv scheme j with perfect equanimity. I fully recognise that from the standpoint they have j taken up they have good and sufficient ! reason according to their lights for the lWtiori they have taken.

'As far as I am concerned, however, I shall not cease to advocate a change, because 1 believe that the future safety of the oversea Dominions and the protection of the vast British interests aris- ( ing in the Pacific, and the guarding of j the ocean highways for British ships,! goods and passengers to and from the | Dominions, calls for and requires an extended navy. "To-day no one who looks at the position will deny that the British fleet® have jbeen in recent years drawn closer' to the seaboards of England, and it is beyond all question that the supremacy of Great Britain on the seas is of more importance to-day than it has ever been. The development of great navies by other countries is making it every day still more pressing that the great fleets of England should be more in the vicrnity of the Home territory than was the case a few years ago. "Time, however, will work in the direction of bringing about organised unity, so far as naval matters are concerned. With a contribution per capita of the white peoples of the overseas Dominions, a great and powerful fleet for the respective portions of the Dominions could be provided. The net cost would certainly be incomparably lc?s than the countries which are going for local navies must require by a system of independent action; that is. 'if the isolated efforts to fcavc a local fleet is to be in the direction of a fully equipped one for the protection of their own shores against any powerful fleet of any other nation. ONE GREAT NAVY. 1 'T am, however, more convinced than ever that the strongest way to safeguard the interests of the Empire as a whole is to have one great navy, the ships for Australia, Canada, South Africa, and New Zealand being ibuilt in each of the ! Dominions named, and the armaments supplied from the up-to-date ordnance factories of England." Asked how the official process of the conference proceedings compared with the actual length of his speech, Sir Joseph Ward replied:— "My speech would, I should say, have run into twelve columns of the London Times. The precis, as you know, gave i about one column. | "Several important pornts which I submitted as having a material bearing on I the whole matter have not been publish[cd at all. By excluding the press the educational side of the conference is to a large extent destroyed. "However, the majority thought oilier- I wise, and one has to recognise that ma- I jdrities rule there, as in any other | public bodies."