AN IMPERIAL COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10248, 26 May 1911, Page 3

AN IMPERIAL COUNCIL.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S VIEWS

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.

(Received May 26, 8.5 a.m.)

LONDON, May 25,

At the banquet to the Premiers at the Savoy, Sir Joseph Ward, in responding to a toast, said that ho moved for an Imperial Council on the grounds that there aro now wanted Imperial unity, organised Imperial defence, equal distribution of burdens of defence, tho representation of tho self-governing Dominions in the Imperial Parliament in regard to questions determining peace and war, the foreign policy and international treaties affecting tho Empire. He said that the remarkable growth of tho overseas Dominions required the gravest consideration of statesmen to prevent difficulties which might in the future be almost impossible of settlement, but which might l>e dealt with while tho white populations were limited.

Ho believed that in 25 years the combined population of the overseas Dominions would exceed that of the United Kingdom and those controlling the Empire's destinies have to consider tho expansion of the units. AH were deeply concerned in the maintenance of some loose form of federation. They were now kept together by sentiment, and the experience of the United States showed that tremendous changes might take place in regard to nationality. He believed they would have to face such a problem owing to the attractiveness of the overseas dominions for settlement to people of a different language to our own. Unless the question of emigration and immigration were treated imperially and anxious care taken to keep our own people within the Empire, our future strength might be dissipated and the best of our population spread among the alien countries.