New-York tribune., 1911-03-13
THE CONFERENCE
Imperial Federation-Work oi
the Premiers.
London, February -

overseas from the colonies at the in.,,.
gation OF Mr.. Harry Britain the car,o..
with the big lion welcoming the cut
with paws outstretched was a ham,
thought: and the jocosc reply OF the n.
ter 10 the prearranged round OF d,n,...
garden parties and con,..
ences was appropriate: Splendid. E,-
need we go TO the conferences?, r.
fusive hospitality and continuous iunk.
ing were more important than en.c.,.
work when the newspapers OF the .r.
pire were called upon 10 accomnp..
what craftsmanship had been unab,.
do: but the Colonial Preriiers Gamma. -
expected 10 dispense with tho go.
ences with equal frivolity when ,h.-
come to London for the coronation. Tn,
must hold protracted meetings
their way through a dense mass .,
plex agenda and make a fair disn,.v
businesslike energy. while Joining IN ,.'
revelry OF the festive season and acc.,.
ing unrestricted hospitality.
'''V '''"i rieHilerS When thew ~
anime the official list Of subjects to- A..
cussion AT the approaching session III
be tempted to explain between v.n..
and twinges o. Indigestion: "sn,e,a,a,
Er-need we go TO the conferences,
the fourth time within fifteen ve,r.
administrative heads Of tho os,..
the empire have been summoned for h,,,,
DEBATE on matters Of common ,n,.-o..
ana on each occasion the consul,..,o
have turned upon academic
and glittering gonerallties. and Tho "A,
hcuities obstructlng imperial de,ero.
unity and trade have been ma,n,s.,
rather than minimized. The Oro.,..
jubilee conference was purely ten,a,,v.
The second OF these gatherings wa. h.,,
when Mr.. Chamberlain was I'm tho co,.
NAL Office. to prove that the polit,ca, a.,
commercial federation Of the emp,re u..
within the limits Of possibility. r,,,
was the halcyon period when Ma,,,,..
Arnold's splendid line. The weary,r,,,
staggers under the too vast orb ~ g.,
Fate could be quoted with imprsmv.
rhetorical effect. Yet when the ss,,.
lishment Of an imperial council wa. ,,,.
idly suggested Mr.. Chamberlain hn...
smothered enthusiasm by producin,
series of calculations for military a..
naval expenditures. and by con,sns,,,
that tho colonies before being admiu.s
10 an imperial council must con,rhu,.
substantially 10 the burdens Of imned,,
defence.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier. frightened BY IN.
spectre Of miltarism i'm front O, the r,o.
posed advisory council for the emplr.
obstructed this scheme Of defensive
measures. Mr.. Chamberlain. no, ye,
converted 10 imperial preference as ,hs
final resource for consolidating the en-.
pire and discouraged by the apathy with
which his premature proposals for a zol.
verein had been received, neglected "a
take up federation on the business sid.
He could only talk vaguely about free
trade within the empire and invite the
co!enies TO give preferential treatment 10
the mother country. The visiting Pre-.
miers were forced 70 be content with the
passage OF resolutions on various safe
questions in which they were hnguidly
interested. They returned overseas %
their own capitals with the conviction
that only those colonies which were ade.
quately taxed for imperial defence coull
expect admission TO the councils OF the
greater Britain. After their departure
Mr.. Chamberrains conversion to Taris
Reform transformed the policies OF ,hs
Cnionist party, but the progress OF Il.
movement was SO slow that the Free
Trade Liberals were in power when tie
third conference was summoned.
The Liberal government was not con.
missioned in 1906 10 take up Mr.. Cham
berlain's revised ideas and 10 make trsi
concessions to the Colonial Premers
The country had rejected imperial pref
erence; ministers had no faith in II as
a policy for Welding together the con-
stituent states OF the empire. a larss
body Of Unionists had -epudated tie
idea OF food taxation, and Mr.. Churchill, |
who was Under Secretary for the Cob.
nial Office, had not found il difficult 70
prove that rancorous jealousies and di''
content would be caused by haggins
and bargaining over a uniform system
of preference. The common ground .o'
imperial association could not be found
in commercial union Ministers were
forced 10 fall back on the Australian idea
OF imperial defence. with contributors
from the governing confederation
for naval armaments. and this was TIE
main topic OF the conference. Varlo.s
minor issues were taken up. and the i@'
nation Of a representative council ""
but apart from the estaolO
ment Of a news bureau in the Colcms
ONCE and provisions for the assemoA's
Of the conference once In four !ed'
with the Prime Minister as the presidlls
officer. there were no practical resu!'s"
real importance.
The fourth conference will meet "
weeks before the coronation. On y
side imperial federation
mains as attractive as ever. espsen-
as theme for after-dinner orator. >"
no practical statesman has any a"'
that il can ever he carried out ID "
world wide possessions Of the n'"S.
Crown. There is no lack OF lo!a'V
the part OF the colonies, there Is a '''s
measure Of appreciation IN the wv
land of the importance OF the o''''
dominions and Of the greatness Q. u
empire, hut since the question ol
mon basis for the government anu
of the empire has "