pug Srenvin Apventure."—By Re. Hon. W. M, Hughes, Ernest Beno Lid. I
This is a revi Mr, Hughes' book, as he hi describes it, is really a "Re Empire Relations within and without the Commonwealth of Britanni Nations." The name of the prover which face the author of such a Review is legion—to name only three, Empire trade, Dominion Ambassadors, Foreign Policy and rising out of the latter innumerable vexed questions. I have not attempted to place these problems in order of merit oF, to use possibly a better word, importance. They ave all matters of real and vital moment to the British Empire, its expansion and its stability.
Mz, Hughes was formerly Prime Minister of Australia, and he needs no better introduction than that fact, but, more than this,-he will be re~ membered as a pillar of strength to the Empire uring the dark days of the Great World War. If there any one who is entitled to express opinions on the relations between the Dominions, the Colonies and the Mother Country, it is Mr. Hughes. He has first-hand knowledge, and his views on the ties which bind the Dominions to the Home Country, the advisability of enlarging the scope of the Dominions' activities, their right to full national status, and their right of self determination. of important matters affecting them.a§ much or to a greater degree than the United Kingdom, and a bundyed and one off-shoots of these questions are deserving of the greatest consideration.
With these premises let us con sider generally how Mr. Hughes has dealt with his subject. We may nut be in entire accord with his views on all the multifold matters referred to in his book, but we soon find we are dealing with no bigot, rather do, we receive the impression from the very commencement (and this is not dispelled as we dip deeper) that! here.is a man of broad outlook and i i ntense patriotism and who always ready to back up his opi bby sound, and able argument. Tt impossible in a review such a thi to deal at any length at all witn more than one of the problems Gigeussed by the author and even tone can only be cursorily touched om.
picking out a subject we choose] tone which" in. our opinion, and certainly inthe opinion of Mr. 'Hughes, is one of paramount importance, vis, Foreign Policy. Under the heading of Foreign Policy and the Foreign Office in Part Il of his ook, Mr. Hughes devotes. no less! than' 145 pages to this one question. Mr. Hughes? main platform necessity for the Dominions to have and exercise full national status 0 equal partners with the United wes no lear and precise:
Parti Fespect of Foreign Affairs), Ministers of the Union.
Uni act for] the "Union, 'The change is" far-Fetching "one which wil alter. the Whole basis of the British Empire We have received a position absolute' equality and freedom not Empire but among ihe other nations of These three declarations indicate what were then the views of the responsible parties as to the future of Dominion status. The old system had not, on the hole, worked so} dadly but it was a source of irritation, none the less real because to! a great extent suppressed, to the! Dominions.
Tt is not dificat to see their point of They only wished to claim what at the present day every healthy youngster feels viz. the right of expressing his own opinions and of having due ce: tfideration given to them The World War brought home to the Governments of the Dominions and Colonies how little say they really had in matters of Foreign! Policy vital to the Empire. They had no say in the declaration of war} 1914, and found themselves} unconditionally committed to a great adventure and nobly they responded to the call made upon them to take their share in the burden, but it war not long before they realized 1 they had had no sayin the origi declaration from which that burden. emanated. They, not unnaturally, felt that the position they found themselves in—committed to vast expenditure in man power and bard} cash—in support of a policy upon which, however much they agree with it, they had not been consulted! was one which must never be pet-mitted to arise again. Later on the! Peace Treaty was signed on behalf] of the British Empire by Mi of the self-governing Domi well as by British Lord Milner, Secretary of State for} War, 'They were all equally plenipoteainves of 'His 'Majesty the' King wig was the "High Contracting Panty" for they whole Empire. The United Kingdom "and the" Bomainions " are pariner nations not yet indeed "of Squal power, vat for geod and all of equal Hal After such strong words It is the more to be regretted that the trol of Foreign Policy before long relapsed again, to a great extent, into the hands of the. British Government. A namber of incidents, el. the trouble in Egypt and the Chanak affair. were matters upon which the Dominions were not consulted, and it would seem that they had legitimate complaint. Of course, it has to he remembered that the dista.ce which separates Aust- {Cr something to happen; see that there of the Empire. We have learn what the Foreign Policy of the new Labour Government is going to be, bat it is to be hoped that, whatever it is, before committing themselves to it they will consult: the Dominions and by a sympathetic attention to the views expressed and 2 tactful consideration of "the other fellow's point of view," help further to knit our great Empire closer and closer together.
No review of the work would be complete without reference being nade to Hughes' ideas under: the heading of "The Future." He asks "What has the future in store for the British Enipive," "Has it sealed the topmost peak of greatness and is is destined to move slowly down the slope into that. oblivion which has engulfed the Empires of the past?" And he ives his idea of the answer to this most vita! question.
NRCG WE consider the Empire as Splendour with its past obscurity, when dook a what it was, say a hundred, changes, We believe the vast majority of the people who go to make up the British Empire" share Mr. Hughes!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.