Captain Eden declared that it was a long time since there nad been such a gri lect of duty a matter of Im policy. The mere fact of postponement of the work on the Base was a very important change of policy to all concerned.
He asked the Under-Secretary. of State for the Dominion: Mr. A. Ponsonby, to undertake that no, be taken either to OF speed up the without" the of every part fof the Empire at every stage.
Such an' undertaking, he raid, would do something to. atone for the gross, clumsy error in tasse, tactics-and equity The Dominions Consulted the Prine Minister would have replied himself but, unfortunately, was engaged elsewhere.
The Government, he declared, welcomed the opportunity of' clearing up the matter—which appeared have become an obsession with the Opposition on the question of consultation with the Dominions, Mr. Ponsonby said that' the Dominions had been consulted by. the present Government on quite fan unprecedented scale. He definitely denied that there had been any change of policy regarding the Base. The Government, in. its: statement, had merely shown, as a precautionary measure, that provisional, steps might "have to be taken in view of possible eventualities, namely, the decision of the Five-Power naval conference. There was, therefore, no change of policy, but' it was necessary that the Dominions should be informed.
Australia and New Zealand had teen informed, but. not consulted. Hongkong, the Federated Malay States and the Dominions would te drawn. into full consultation about the time when a decision was being made, if and when it had to made after the conclusions of the Five-Power conference had been reached, Mr. Ponsonby. declared that he would certainly undertake that no steps. would be taken without the lesest collaboration, because the! closest collaboration' was going on.
'The Government, he added, had throughout acted' in a strictly correct way because it desired, whatever decisions the Government, reaches in the future, to see that the Empire should act as a whole.
He aid that he felt that the various parts of the Empire had cause for complaint whatsoever.
Mr. L. 'S. Amery, who was! Colonial Secretary in the late Conservative Government, criticizing. the action of the Government, sai he wanted to see consultation' with the Dominions before Britain entered the five: Power conference. halt" of the Government, sig that Ins, Ponsonby, replying om be-'The matter was then dropped-—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.