REORGANISATION OF THE EMPIRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 July 1919, Page 5

REORGANISATION OF THE EMPIRE.

DETAILS OF THE SCHEME. AN IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received July 21, S.lO p.m. New York, July 15. The New York Tribune's London correspondent learns that a Bill is 'being drafted for submission to the British Parliament in September providing for the reorganisation of the Empire. The plan would connect the sixty component parts of the Empire into one nation, with an Imperial Parliament for the purpose of co-ordinating military and naval business and the functions of the different Dominions. Each Dominion Would retain its own Parliament. The Imperial Parliament would consist of a single assembly, with a Ministry responsible to its membership. There would be 140 representatives in all from Ihe United Kingdom, Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, in the proportion of one member for each half-million of white people. The chief duties of the Imperial Parliament would be to settle disputes between the Dominions, make all treaties with other Powers, and to declare war. Other duties would be to control the Imperial Amy and Navy, determine and be solely responsible for the Empire's policies regarding citizenship and naturalisation; to impose taxes on the basis of equal contributions by every citizen according to his relative' wealth, thus eliminating the inequalty under which British Islanders now pay many times as much as the Dominion!?. The Imperial Ministry would Include Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs, War, Navy, Crown Colonies, Imperial Treasury, a.nd five secretaries without portfolios on ,the basis of one for eaeb. Dominion.

The plan also provides for an Imperial Supremo Court.

The first step toward carrying out this plan would be the calluig together of a constitutional convention for framing the Constitution, which would contain a provision that no amendment of the Constitution could be made unless approved by the majority of tho Dominions, as well as by the majority ot the Imperial Parliament.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.