IMPERIAL POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1920, Page 5

IMPERIAL POLICY.

[VOICE OP THE DOMINIONS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Jan. 29. Mr. H. H. Asquith, at Paisley, discussing constitutional and electoral reform, advocated a second Chamber which to the extent of one-third should consist of nominated distinguished public servants in the non-political sphere, such as the bench of publis service on the Dominions.

He went on to'say: "There must be a change in our Imperial system. Prior to the war a feature was the growing disposition to take into confidence representatives of the great self-governing Dominions. That procedure has been developed. We must have a very loose I and elastic system, not bound by red tape or any permanent convention, under which in all vital questions of Imperial policy affecting the Empire as a whole, i you will be able to bring into consultation with the Imperial Cabinet in London the Dominions as free parties with us in that gigantic institution which has grown almost by a series of miracles, viz., the British Empire." He did not favor the scheme of an Imperial Parliament in which the Dominions should be directly represented, but would promote an increase of intercommunication between ourselves at home and the colonies. The only way to keep the Empire intact was to combine Imperial unity with complete local auton-omy—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.