_The Imperial Conference is sitting in London and an Australian Labour Convention has gathered 19 Melbourne. Of the former it is sufficient to say that Mr. Hughes is very accurately interpreting Australian public opinion. The idea of some organic Imperial Federation never appealed to him, and now he has said flatly that he will not attend a conference next year on the subject. While he had said little concerning the idea of the Dominions having separate politico] representatives at, say, Washington, and other foreign ''courts," ne has now nade it abundantly clear that, should Canada set the example, a bad precedent will be young Prime Minister of Canada could not withstand the argument and the matter is likely to drop. established.
The Dominions, he said, sent mea overseas because they were troublesome, obstinate or perverse, and he painted an amusing picture of four or five such Dominion representatives working in harmony with anybody. Even the new and The matter of allotting expendi.
on the naval defence of the Empire seems likely to stand still for some time, awaiting the development. of the reported American desire for an armament agreement. But while the Inperial statesmen in London are seeking progress and understanding with honeyed phrases and protestations of peaceful intentions, the Australian Labour convention it, Melbourne is breathing fire and brimstone, and warning the working classes - against the deadly designs of cold-blooded capitalism. These peaceful gentlemen object to the Anglo-Japanese treaty, not because it might hurt American feelings, but because it recognizes the factors of military strength, The Australian Convention has once again agreed upon a platform. It differs very little from that of previous conventions. It includes all the hot air, big phrases, and polysyllabic words which are to be found in most Labour and communistie manifestoes, There is one thing to be granted. The recognized extremists, revolutionaries and Rolsheviks, ate in the minority. They. of course, have greater ingenuity in the interpolation of phrases in resolutions which may make them feel satisfied that yet another ell has been gained towards their ambition to make the "gutters Tun with blood," as one cheerful optimist put it. In any case there is one thing the Labour convention does not seek, and that ig industrial peace, and in that it is in striking contradistinction against the Imperial Conference which is striving to make the prosperity of the Empire and the maintain ance' of peace its first consideration.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.