Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1942. REPRESENTATION OVERSEAS.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 February 1942, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1942. REPRESENTATION OVERSEAS.

QpiIEIiE has been some rather, loose talk on the subject of the representation of the Dominions on the British War Cabinet and a much wider meaning than the facts warrant might even be read into the reported statement of the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) that: “The New Zealand Government, on January 26, asked the United Kingdom Government for a seat on the British War Cabinet.” It is clear that Dominion representatives attending meetings of the British War Cabinet will not be members of that body and also that there is no question meantime of constituting an Empire War Cabinet. The facts should be sufficiently obvious, but that they are misunderstood in some quarters is made clear in details of current newspaper discussion. One commentator, for instance, after observing that we were moving towards a collective strategy for all the Powers opposed to the Axis, and that to speed this end the British Empire should be able to speak with one collective voice, added: — In days to come, swift decisions on the command and disposition of Allied forces will have to be made. These decisions can be made efficiently only by some governing body representing the Empire as a whole—a body such as is now being set up. While the need for a unification of command and a collective .strategy is undeniable and to a considerable extent is now being met, it is not the case that “a governing body representing the Empire as a whole” is now being set up. Language of this kind is calculated to raise expectations which cannot be realised in the absence of far-reaching changes in the political constitution of the Empire which have not occurred and are not visibly in prospect. Even the representation of the Dominions on the British War Cabinet is to be incomplete, since Canada and South Africa are not proposing meantime to appoint representatives. The arrangement actually made was defined explicitly by Mr Churchill when he said, in the House of Commons, that: — The proposal of the Australian Government was that they could have a representative on the War Cabinet and could have the right to be heard in the formation and direction of policy. The British Prime Minister added that the same facilities had been offered to the Governments of the other Dominions, but that he understood that the Governments of Canada and South Africa “are satisfied with the existing arrangements for consultation.” It is thus apparent that the representation of some of the Dominions on file British War Cabinet (two of the Dominions as matters stand) will amount simply to an extension of the machinery of inter-imperial consultation. Far as it falls short of the establishment of a “governing body representing the Empire as a whole,” the new arrangement possibly may serve an excellent purpose. Past experience has shown that a loosely-drawn constitutional relationship is not incompatible with good progress in understanding and ‘co-operation between the countries of the Empire. It remains true, however, that if Britain and the Dominions are to speak with one voice in the direction of war policy and strategy, they can dq so only on the basis of consultation and agreement. Obviously, too, the Pacific War Councils, which are to deal, as President Roosevelt has said, with long-range strategic questions, can operate only on a basis of voluntary co-operation.