Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1941. IMPERIAL CONSULTATION.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 August 1941, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1941. IMPERIAL CONSULTATION.

it is giving rise to a certain amount of talk in London —one newspaper declaring that it “must be solved —the question of Dominion representation in an Imperial War Cabinet is not visibly raised in any very practical shape. Overseas Prime Ministers visiting London, amongst them our own Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) have attended meetings of the War Cabinet and no doubt this practice is advantageous and wilt continue.

Suggestions, however, that the Dominions should be given permanent representation in an Imperial War Cabinet appear to be based on a misconception of the relationship between the Mother Country and the Dominions —a relationship in which, as Field-Marshal Smuts observed recently, dispersals and decentralisation have a fundamental place. Some ol those who have taken part in recent discussions seem to think that, with the addition to its membership of the Dominion Prime Ministers, the British War Cabinet would become an Executive empowered to act for the whole’Empire. This/ however, is hot the case. The actual basis on which the countries of the Empire are cooperating’—and co-operating so well—in Avar and other affairs, is one of consultation and agreement between autonomous governments.

Tn order to enjoy and to exercise formal and established authority, an Imperial Cabinet, in time of war or peace, would have to be supported by an Imperial Parliament. The constitution of a Parliament of this kind has, however, been found impracticable thus far and possibly may never be attempted. The members of the British War Cabinet of course are responsible to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The oversea Prime (Ministers are responsible to the Parliaments of their several Dominions.

The attendance of oversea Prime Ministers at meetings of the War Cabinet, in London cannot be more, in these circumstances, than an extension of the system of consultation between Britain and the Dominions. In itself, this extension of consultation, like any other of an effective kind, no doubt is highly advantageous and desirable, but the constitution of an Imperial War Cabinet, in any real sense, evidently is not involved.

It is most unfortunate that the question of representation in London is now being debated in Australia in an atmosphere of party contention. Apart, however, from the parly deadlock that has arisen or is threatened in the Commonwealth on this subject, many even of those who believe that Mr Menzies is hotter fitted than anyone else to represent his country in London in the immediate future will feel that the Australian Minister of the Navy, Mr NV. M. Hughes, overstrained the arguments in favour of that course when he said that if Mr Menzies “could not be spared from Australia because of the gravity of the situation, then obviously he could not be spared from London, where Australia’s fate would he decided.”

Against this may be sot the recent contention of FieldMarshal Smuts that at a time when, grave decisions relating 1o the war are to he taken the best place for the Prime Minister of a Dominion is in the. capital of that Dominion, and the observations just made by the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Mackenzie King, on his arrival in the United. Kingdom. The British Commonwealth, Mr King said,

now had the most perfect communications system between Cabinets that any group of nations could have. The present system was infinitely more effective for reaching good decisions than any other could possibly be. If he stayed in London, it would only add to the delay in consulting Canada, as he would always have to consult his own Cabinet. There had never been a time when relations between the United Kingdom and Canadian Governments had been closer. The reason was that the Canadian Government had always been consulted and had given a collective opinion before a step was taken by the United Kingdom Government. This was better than any one-man system of making decisions.

This statement, no doubt summarised for transmission, probably is incomplete. It must be taken for granted, for instance, that many detail decisions relating to war policy and action have been taken by the British War Cabinet promptly and on its own responsibility. It is clear, however, that consultation, between the British Government and the Governments of the Dominions has been and is being developed to the greatest extent that is practicable, and that the Dominions are able to exercise a powerful influence on the determination of those aspects of war policy in which they are more particularly concerned.