The daily times., 1921-10-08
AMERICA PLEASED
TO SEE DOMINION
REPRESENTATIVES
AUSTRALIA WAS MISLED
Although America Was Anx-
ious to See the British Pos
sessions Represented She
Could Not Suggest Such
Representation Lest She Of
fend England.
AUSTRALIA WAS MISLED
(By David Lawrence.)
Copyright, 121. by The Daily
Times

(COpyrlght, III. by The Daily
Times)
Washington, Oct THE United
States government is deeply gratified
over the decision of Great Britain to
include representatives of Canada,
New Zealand and Australia in the
British delegation to the armament
conference next month
Back of this manifestation of
pleasure is an interesting inside story
which illustrates, first, how easily
misunderstanding can arise between
nations and, second, how frankness
on the part of our public officials has
checkmated a possible false impress
ion at the very start.
Somehow or another Premier
idea that the United States didn't
want to see the british don,iniOns
represented. He SajG in his --latest
speech that America had slammed
the door, against Australian repre-
sentation. Sitting five thousand miles
from Washington and London. it was
MT unnatural that the Australians
SHOULD have misconstrued WHAT was
in Canada have given an impression
of disappointment that the United
States was in sOmeway responsible
for blocking Canadian representation.
There was a feeling that America
might well have issued direct in
vitation to Canada, New Zealand and
Australia because their shores were
washed by the Pacific and they are
as much interested in settling the
problems of the Pacific as are the
people of the United States.
But America couldn't issue such an
invitation. To do SO would be to
offend the British government at
London which has scrupulously in
sisted that the foreign affairs of her
dominions be handled through the
London government and not direct
between Washington and Ottawa or
Washington and Melbourne. The
United States government didn't feel
that it would even be proper to say
anything Informally to the British
government about the desire of the
American people to see the British
dominions represented. 1t was con-
sidered the heighth of indiscretion
for our government to tell Great
Britain how she should choose her
delegation. The status of the domin
ions were so far as the American gov
ereign states like New York or Ohio
but in International affairs the cen
trail government alone could be dealt
with.
Naturally when the British govern
ment of it's own volition therefore
chooses a delegate each from Canada,
New Zealand and Australia, the
Washington government is plainly
pleased and does not hesitate to show
it. But such a speech as Premier
Hughes has made in Australia based
upon his belief that the dominions
would have been invited before ex-
cept for Americas unwillingness can
not be offset except by a statement
of the facts. News dispatches to Aus
tralia are probably meagre. Also
there is no telling what may have
been said in official cab1egrams be-
tween London and Melbourne. For
indeed there was some mfsconception
in Britain about the size of the var
ious delegations. Everybody recogniz-
ed the value of small delegations
it makes conference work easier and
more rapid. But at no time did the
United States seek to limit the size
of any delegation. From the first it
was made clear that each delegation
would vote as a unit anyway and
that it did not make any practical
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