Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-01-06
|vARIHAs WROUGHT REAL
Union OF BRITISH EMPIRE
Attack by Germany Has Welded Do
SKI minfons and Colonies More
As Firmly Than Ever.
IMPERIAL CONFERENCES WORK
sInformal Representative Body ENcr-
cts1nE Vast Influcnce-Whole Brit
ssy ish-Ruled World Will Unite for
Control OF Essential Products.
tBY DUNCAN AIKMANo

)ssSter organized and better organizing
'SSthe 4 self governing dominions and
SSEcolonics. Of the British crown are show.
Ting disposition TO solve by united
them as a unit Incidentally, since L
Charge share of these problems are COM
s%mercia,! this added unity will make
sthe empire in The peace to come a
sYstronger, though perfectly friendly.
.scommercial rival of the United States.
But what is TO some observers the
sbstriking new developments in this di
erection lis the fact that the formerly
Imperial conference: is playing n vital
ely important part. if not the most i'm
portants part. in fastening their prog
s3ress. =
explained, is the occasional. rather in
formal, i gathering OF the leading
India and the mother kingdom held,
+ generally in London. whenever the
British Prime Minitscr or the colonial
statesmen think there are problems
enough TO talk about 10 make meet
- ing worth while. II had its origin sew
eral years before the war. and those
Smiled AT even by some who admitted
that II held the germ of great
ldeal The entertainment arose from
the question whether the the colonies
having uses for their best statesmen
!, at home. did not generally honor the
X conference by sending the least busy
I. ones.
BEST BRAINS or COMMONS
GATHER IN CONFERENCES
But that epoch is all dead and done
& With. During the war the very best
nave gathered here for tresuent coun-
ellis, and while it is not possible to
& put ones finger on much positive
achievement and say that the confer
( ence did it. nevertheless, in acting as
central brain for the entire empire,
an co ordtna ting its aims and helping
y II 10 avoid conflicting acts and D,lr-
poses in enabling. in short. what is
Il perhaps the most loosely organizer
4 EoYepnm entail association in the world
70 Keep its head in a supreme crisis.
n II has rendered what everyone here
as tremendous service. II
may be intangible: but the whole gov
Invaluable. ."
Incidentally. it has accomplished all
o ~ without having any legal powers,
ence. For as corporation. the con
ference has no more standing at law
81 Pr enc PATTY lo which would take place
many of the colonial ministers TO ,ea
! AZ ALL, 1T can do; in fact. is to pass reso-
,nS members can. when they get home,
indnce their respective lerisiat;vc
n poo. to write the gist of them into
IT Is Just like British institutions
however. for such a body to grow into
an an, immense governing instrument. The
sof Just such loose informal meeI
IDS. OF folks who had little executive
govern t1 no mere here and there in various
the cabinet has very little legal stnnS'
n nE ,s even to-day, And the imperial
s tmie feiiow I'M m.gnt begin almost any
s Footsteps. ''e ''"'he'
y TACKLES THREE GREATEST
PROBLEMS OF THE HOUR
nt mar, IN TACT. is precisely what pres
t,Ii
, terence is doing. The other day il
a dess,1ed meeting &c which is very possibly
meeting, the body which before The
war had been largely board for
arr h,rin e. indefinite opinions. which dur
boldly the three most tangible and
p pfiect OF imperial problems which
"a ahect every square mile of British
territory--from New Zealand to New.
toun dland-reconstructi demobiliza-
Il municattons. Also il tackled them in
y such a way AS 10 point at last toward
positive achievement.
SO For instance, here is what ,ha co,
terence decided to do with regard 70
ee naotii,; IL MIL SCI, up at once
rescntatives of the war Once ; and fl tbc
ministry of shipping, the military n,i
r .ieI les, Of All the domnions and colo
nrst OF all an advisory COMMITTEES to
inc British government Blu, il will
\ oe soihethinS more than just an ad :
S}G Visory committee. II will spccijcojIy
nave power 10 decide matters of detail
4 Tang since rehabilitation throughout
II the British empire is almost entirely :,
s9 question OF details that is a good DIAL
~ Further still the committee is to have
& me priviles e-vir'uaily a cabinet priv
fH lteEe-of submitting questions Of priu-
III cipie to any governments OF the EN-
s. pre- which such questions may affect
Isl In other words. the empire as "a whole
Is going TO have chance 20 ,acklc
6@ the problems OF Rehabilitation much
as the Federal states in America on
M tutlonal amendment are tackling the
~ prohibition question
IA In different way. the same get
SE organized tone prevails in tho confer
"a ence's recommendations regarding raw
materials. incidentally. this is a far
m nor o, imn9Ttant ma!,sr for whereas
s we'll or III. will eventually he over
with raw materials win be with us
ss6S and ride on sunlight.
6 PLANS TO COMMAND
ALL ESSENTIAL rRODU C"rs
start committee" is again the hrs,
81 word of the conference on this slbjcct
= But that committee, II il does what ha:
~ been put before IL. won't have q vaca,
etion in years and years. Its task i.
gentle one Of considering lin caci
%, Islands to the Shetlands, remember
gsathe possible methods OF obtaining
ssc0mmand OF each OF the essential raw
-
sssSS resources OF the empire If there is oi
s5,ssst Australia or coal In Bengal. find on
A1Xhatt is the best way 10 got control O
q IL and get IL out. Next, as the com
nltttce unearths these possibilities o
- the quarter OF the carth's surface Which
Ssst the empire covers. the various colonia
sasand dominion governments are 10 con
suit with producers as TO the inctho,
.tfsof obtaining command (of the raw ma
y E5teria1s) best suited to each individuA
In other words they ar
Ea9tt0 put a Systc mof expert advice 4
Estswork on an empire wide scale. Natural
N.Y. the assumption is that with tn
ts present demand for raw materials OF II
az kinds and with the shipping systcr
getting back to normal asai,
No the various governments once havin.
the expert advice will see I
asa getting those raw materials to mar
III Ket, But OF even wider signi!cauc
rs than the fact that vast shortage vi
IKE be thereby relieved and the trade G
the empire, enormously Increased,
~ the fact that for the first time an un
Undertaking OF this sort has not been lei
:gIstS to- private enterprise. or even to III
int