Commonwealth and Empire

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 920, 29 March 1957, Page 7

Commonwealth and Empire

N the last 10 years many former British colonies have become selfgoverning States, and more are on the verge of independence, or moving towards it. The evolution of sovereign States brings problems which are the common ground of several forthcoming talks. At 4YA the NZBS recently recorded several talks by research students and authorities on British colonial policy and constitutional history, who came to Dunedin for the Science Congress earlier this year. Emily Sadka, for example, who is a Malayan research scholar in South-East Asian History at the Australian National University, Canberra, will be heard from 4YC this Sunday, March 31. In her talk she discusses the Malayan situation and the particular problems of this multi-racial country, and tells of the progress being made towards solutions which will help Malaya, when self-governing, to surmount her difficulties and become a stable and developing member of the Commonwealth.

A backward glance will be taken the following Tuesday when the first Government formed by a Labour Party-in Australia in 1899-will be recalled by Dr. Robin Gollan, of the Australian National University. Dr. Gollan discusses the idealistic spirit of the 1890’s and the contributions of the first work-ing-men Parliamentarians. These working members were men like Charles ‘Jardine Don, a stone mason who sat in the House at night after a day’s work and described himself as "punching stone by day and squatters by night" (4YC, April 2). Three talks on Creative Colonialism will be heard later in April. Professor J. W. Davidson, also of the Australian National University, will ciscuss the special qualities needed by a British Colonial Governor if he is to be successful; Professor W. P. Morrell, of Otago University, will speak on the humanitarian background of British Colonial policy in the Pacific Islands in the 19th century, and Mary Boyd, of Victoria University College, is to bring the record

up-to-date with a talk on Samoan development in the last 30 years. Meanwhile, three BBC talks by Sir Ivor Jennings, entitled Approach to Self-Government in the Commonwealth, will start from the YAs and 4YZ on Thursday, April 4, at 9.15 p.m. Sir Ivor, Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, +s Constitutional Advisor to the €:_y,erm ment of Pakistan, and while he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ceylon he acted as an acviser on the Ceylonese Constitution. He talks on the constitutional problems involved in the conversion of dependent territories into independent states. Sir Ivor emphasises the importance of the local background of politics and interests, where nationalism is often confined to a small, wealthy and comparatively educated section of the people, and there is no strong body of public opinion watching the politicians. In these countries loyalties of class, religion or language tend to dominate politics, and genuine national patriotism may need to be replaced by constitutional devices, if the interests of the whole community are to be served. In his third talk Sir Ivor outlines the processes necessary to establish a strong and efficient Public Service,