DOMINIONS’ STATUS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1921, Page 5

DOMINIONS’ STATUS.

IGNORED BY AMERICA. FHE PARIS PRECEDENT. SHOULD BE FOLLOWED, By T»i«<rap* —Prm* A**n -CcpyritliL Capetown, Nov. 2. General Smnts has issued a statement in connection with his recent speech on the question of Dominion status, with a riew of correcting some misunderstanding of both bis attitude and the eonititnttonal points which have been raised. He points out that at the Paris Disarmament Conference the Dominions were given all the advantages of recogaiMd individual status, of consultation snd of mutual support. "In the British 'Empire delegation,’* »ays General Smuts, "our individual standing was unquestioned, while our team work nude us a real effective force. This was a great precedent, which settled the Dominion's interna- , tional status, but nbw at the first great international conference called after the Paris Conference, the Dominions, despite . the Pacific position of three of them, had been simply ignored. At the Washington . tonference there will only be a British , delegation, wherein the Dominions aS . *nch will not be found, hence the Empire wiU not be represented in its full authority as a group of States, and the fall weight of the Empire will not be exert ed. 5 *

After denying that he desired to play ■ lune hand. General Smuts declares that hr wants the Paris precedent to be followed at Washington and at every subsequent conference. He wants to see the Empire represented through its constituent equal States. There is no other way of giving it representation.

General Smuts says he boa no :ioA of striking a jarring note, but is merely standing up for that Dominion ;tatds which to him, and he feels sure to the nations of the Dominion, is the 3osm and constitutional reality of our free Imperial Commonwealth. He wishes the American Government to understand the Dominion standpoint and to recognise the Dominion status as the other Powers recognised it at Paris, with the whole-hearted advocacy and support of -he British Government.

He concludes by expressing a fervent wish for the success of the conference at WatLifigton.

VALVE OF SERVICES. MR. CHURCHILL’S TRIBUTE. CO-OPERATION WITH UNITS. London. Nov. 2. Mr. Churchill, speaking at the Empire Parliamentary Association, paid a tribute to the Dominions’ services, not only in the war. but in the councils of the Empire. He said that for years the movement towards the unity of the Em t>ire had been retarded by lack of effective linke of communication between the reading politicians and responsible persons in England and the leaders of the great overseas Dominions. ‘They used to vie it London towards the close of last century, staying months, and hardly the slightest notice was taken of tbeir presence. They had not friends to put them in touch With >ur political life, and went away feeling that, though England might be a wonderful organisation of society and life, yet it was ofie from which they were detached. Although for many years the title deeds of the Empire will be deposited at Westminster, we are bound by policy to attune ourselves to the wishes and needs of the overseas Domiftiena. Now they come as brothers to fight in our affairs and return to the Dominions with the added store of knowledge and experience gathered in this great community. •England also reaps the greatest advantages. It is an enormous help for members of the House of Commons t» go overseas and find themselves similarly placed and officially recognised in relation to the Dominions’ affairs. The more this progress continues the more rapid will be our progress towards the higher unification. England cannot possibly continue alone. It cannot be pretended that this Parliament is in sole control of the great common of the Empire. The Imperial Parliament alone used to make great decisions affecting the Empire, but those days are past, and We eannot possibly continue except by ?o-operation of the units which have grown under the British crown. We most march forward hand in hana with them. This can only be done by

?onstant intercourse between representatives of our Parliament and their Parliaments. Unless taere is a close and continual spread of unity by the exchange of opinions it will be impossible to work out an Empire policy.” Every year was a year of importance, tmt he believed the coming year would see a development favorable to strengthening the ties between the farflung -ections of our race. Mr. J. H. Whitley referred to the good results that had accrued through overseas representatives expressing their views before the Parliamentary Association, which was considering invitations for a visit by members to Indian md African Parliaments. Visits from Parliament to Parliament were bound to je of the greatest use.