New-York tribune., 1909-06-14
IMPERIAL COUNCIL,
EfusiUe Hospitality Without -.
feCtiUe Work.
london. Innar

cartoon in punch" portrays the British ~
with paws outstretched in welcome To tn -
nial cubs and with the words tremb1i,g - -
lips We've arranged for you to have a -.
of dinners. Iuncheons. garden parties-and -
ferences." To this the chorus Of young lion.
spends: Splendid Er-need we 20 10 the -.
'ferences?" Certainly, the ifty-six repress-.-
tives Of the colonial press need to drop or. :.
something planned for their entertainment =
less they have sinews Of iron and stor7ac,. :.
india rubber. In the course Of nine davs s.
are to be Welcomed at the imperial exbibi,,.-
the Foreign Office. the Houses OF Parliar.-.
the Mansion House, the constitutional o.
and Marlborough House; they are To yri+,
a sham battle of seventeen thousand me-,
Aldershot and imposing naval review. IT,
are to listen to oratory from the Prime Mini,
ter. the Speaker. Lord ROsebery and Mr. D,
four; they are to be preached to at Westr,u
ster Abbey and entertained at the Duk. :.
Sutherland's. the Duke of WeIlington's To-.
SaIisbury's Lord NorthcIiffe's. Mr. Artbr,
Pearson's and other houses. and after copti,n
Gus junketing in the metropolis they are IN h.
turned over to the provinces and to Scoti,n4
for another round of banquets, garden par4.
and speechmaking- London hospitality know,
no bounds when royalty sets the style and tbsr.
is an efficient committee OF organization. n.
colonial premiers themselves during their "a
cent visits to England have not had more sor.
for them than is planned for this large bo5v !,
overseas press men.
The newspapers Of the empire are expsc,,s
to accomplish what statesmanshiD has bss,
unable to do. There has been series Of con.
ferences at the Colonial Office from tim. =,
time. but imperial federation has remained a.
far. removed as ever-a problem as difficult as
the squaring Of the circle. Colonial preui.-s
were elevated to the dignity Of membership IN
the right honorable Privy Council. there hsvs
been generous distributions OF decorations and
compliments: Mr.. Chamberlain has advoeasd
preferential trade between the colonies and rs
mother state, and Lord EIgin and Mr. ChurchB
have recommended cooperation in military a.s
naval defence and an approach to an admins
trative council in which all portions OF the en-
pire could be represented All these things
have helped TO create an atmosphere for tmps-
rial unity, but institutions are not air plants
They must be goOted in something more mats
rial than racial affinity or loyal sentiment
there are to be new growths with vital forss
of their own With all the fervid talk about
common origin and destiny little progress has
been made under the UniOnist and Liberal sd-
minfstratfons toward the establishment Of rep
resentative bodies IN which the United King
dom and the loyal colonies can be brought To-
cether. The main result accomplished at the
last colonial conference was the opening Of an
information bureau with a small staff in Down
ing Street II was hardly more than dHl
mirror for rejecting traditions and opinions Of
the Colonial Office. 1t was not a council IN
rr,rYvF-p % Ia
quateIy represented or where matters affecting
the interests Of the empire as who-e couid .
authoritativeIy discussed
Will reform by newspapers be more effective
than reform by premiers has been? Probably
not. if Mr. Partridge's forecast be fulfilled and
the Young lions Of the colonial press are 70 b
overfed petted and stroked down in continuOu
iunketing without being allowed to do any ra
work In conference. There is a prearraugz
order Of conference discussion. with ALFRED pres
agencies and cheap cable tolls as the leadi-;
numbers. There will be speeches. reports an
resolutions on all these questions, but with ne
pressure Of public hospitality and social sn-
gagemeuts it is probable that the confersncs
for business Will be neglected There viii b
good feeling and fluent oratory. but little przc-
ticaI work is likely TO be done As the pre1nters
in attending their conferences have complains
of lack of leisure for imperial business. whs1
they we're overwhelmed with oratory and nos
pltaIitv. so the working journalists Of the self
governing colonies Will find themselves n
capacitated for the serious Iabors OF their unlq1'
assemble There viii be more atm0sDhere II
imperial federation and no practical suggss-
tions for organizing a real parliament or eou1'
ell for the empire or for systemattzins tas
business and harmonizing the policies Oh U'
mother country and the colonies
The press conference would be more impo''
tant than the last council Of colonial premises
if il were to formulate a definite scnems -
the creation or a department for inperlaI @---
independent and outside of the ColonlaI OI-.
Mr.. DeaNiu. the most eloquent and progr'Sl-
of the premiers attending the last con1~'-'9
enphasized the idea of equality Of rights
federated partnership. and advocated N-
commemorative council with its Own stan a.
with the promise Of the potency Of sONsIe-a
parliament Cor the empire The Colohla1 -
raised objection 10 this comprehensive SCH
and bureaucracy triumphed when the es'a'i'--
uent of 2 news or information brahcH
authorized in Downing Street-a fresh oi' =
mechanism for winding and uncoihns 81
of red tape That bureau is without innasIo
in ascertaining or directing the collective pO.l-
of the empire. II is controlled by oIiiclAN
the Colonial Department and everythh5 -
on as I'm the old days when Sir Barue
was recalled because Downing Street "ali'.N
govern South Africa in its own way wiz
reference to the experience Of the pro-eousu =,
the spot. \ great stride would be taken ]"
direction OF imperial federation II tnese
huential colonial journalists now ln -
could be induced to advocate strongly tne =,
ton OF an administrative council Ni0-0 !.
opfnions of the outlying commonWea-'-' =.
military and naval defence. reciprocal -.
ence in trade and other interests OF 'D7 - -
as a whole could be authoritativeN exp -
It would be the beginning OF comIlelOe- .ss
-, so5.r.tio,,-an advanced stage in ~