While we welcome the noticeable progress thus made towards the consolidation of the Empire, it has to be admitted that something more than a scheme of common defence must be evolved in order to introduce as a permanent factor in Imperial affairs the fall force of ditional twenty-five per cent of our population living overseas. With taxation for Imperial defence must come ultimately representation in Imperial counsels, and the year has seen a stepping-stone in the Press and Defence Conferences but antu a satisfactory system of Tmperial preference has been devised, a, source of potential wealth to the Empire lies untouched. In the Dominions this solation of the Imperial problem is accepted as an fom, and during the year roosived of British Chambers of Commerce emphatic support from the Congress
(including the London Chamber of
'The principle has made considerable Commerce) assembled in Bydoey. headway in Great Britain; so much so, that if a referendum on this one question alone were possible, there could be little doubt as to the issue. It is the' main platform of the Unionist party in proaching general lection, but its present ment to the natibi is obscured by counter-cries and side issues. In the meanwhile Canada approaches the time when she will have to choose between Imperial preference and 2 North American Zollvere She recognizes that there is no alternative, and early in the year undertook to make no arrangement to the prejudice of the commercial interests of the Mother-country, until the people of Great Britain themselves should show at the next election what they wish it trade relations to be.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.