THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 1910. IMPERIALISM AND ITS WORK.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10016, 12 April 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 1910. IMPERIALISM AND ITS WORK.

} Lord Crewe'a advocacy of an Imperial Council at the Colonial Institute banquet to Sir George Reid reintroduces the scheme upon which the Imperial Federationisis fell back when driven from their original position. Precisely what readjustment of Imj perial Ministerial functions he contemplates, it is impossible to say, j but cleatly he looks to an Imperial Council as the-result of conferring I with colonial statesmen on diplomatic questions affecting their countries and of placing confidence in them. That would be well enough by itself, for it is easy to recall Imperial mistakes in dealing with remote possessions that would not have been made had the colonies most affected been consulted on t.he subject. But thus an Imperial Council would be obviated rather th&n necessitated, seeing

that consultation with such colonist countries as* are concerned would make a regular Empire Council superfluous. And this reference to the colonial country can always be made without a formally-constituted semiGovernment of the Empire. The splendid system of electric communication within the Empire has dis* missed much of the old difficulty and peril. The problem is simpler now. But a Council would no sooner be formed than it would desire power and insist on pledging its constituent countries, with the inevitable result that there would be friction between the oversea British peoples who had been committed behind their backs and the Imperial Government, which would only be trying to do what was best in a hopeless Empire muddle. As we stand now, Imperial affairs are settled, wherever united action is required, by consultation, which is so frequently invoked that there is no fear of past errors in colonial administration being repeated by the Imperial Government. The safe principle, therefore, is to leave well alone. A higher and much more vital scope for British Empire energies was indicated in Sir George Reid's remark that the task of developing the Commonwealth was just as Imperial as was settling Home political differences, and his suggestion that the British and colonial Governments should unite in using their, influence to secure, suitable British immigrants for the oversea dominions. The task is one that challenges patriotism and statesmanship both in the colony and) the Motherland, for upon ifs success or failure very largely depends the British stability of the outer Empire. Let the colonies be systematically flooded with British people, and no Imperial Council will ba required to ensure sympathy in national policy.