Evening star., 1923-10-12
u. 5. TOPICS FIGURE
IN BRITISH PARlEY
Imperial Conference Seeks
Closer Union AIneng Over
Il seas Doninions.
,RY EREDERIc, WILLIAM VILE.

LAY EREDERIC, WILLIAM VILE.
Meetings fateful for the future of
the British empire open In London
fnpsrsai conference. at No. 10 Downing
street Premier Baldwin will gather
around the cabinet table with Smuts
f South Africa, Mackenzie King Of
Canada, Bruce OF Australia, Massey of
New Zealand. Warren of Newfound-
land and Cosgrave of Ireland. With
those rulers Of the self-governing
dominions and with Representatives
* India and other crown colonies"
Baldwin will deliberate for the next
TWO months over ways and means for
Tightening up the bonds of empire"
n There Is host of other items on
the conferences agenda. Tariffs. ra-
qto communications, emigration. ship
ping. naval and military defensive
measures and intra-empire pariia-
nientary representation arc some of
the major issues. But greater than
any of them, and comprehending
Shem all; Is the overshadowing cues
rton of how to knit closer together
the ties that unite Britannia's far
aung possessions with the tight little
Islands in the North sea, known as
the mother country" II the i'm
9erial conference adjourns. as sew
dfal of Its predecessors within the
past ten years did, without accom-
piishing that objective Britishers
win feel that once again 1t was a
oase of loves labor lost.
i To De Nothing C0eretve.
..Great Britain approaches the prob
1fm more or less as suppliant. She
y aware Of the Dominion's longing
Tor more and more Independence.
There Is and will be nothing coercive
N her proposition that the "daugh-
ter nations" should. as matter Of
demmon interest. be consolidated with
TIE homeland in some definite form of
Imperial federation. Leaders like
Gen. SHUTS of South Africa and Mr..
Nackenzie-K King of Canada, who will
he the towering figures at the con-
have revealed little ssr srthosi nos
ton. in a nutshell. is that as the
United Kingdom itself has grown up
and grown great without written
denstitution. nothing f OF that n;s sort rs
the kingdom has stood the test OF
stress and storm without resort to a
Hard d-andfast "bund.' they say, so
the confederation of nations upon
ttusted to weather any imperial
crisis. The dominions point to their
performances during the world war
ss evidence of their. allegiance to the
eHiplTe Witiloul tho Aoi '>'
pledged loyalty.
Il Accommodation Uncertain.
hit is by no means certain the
dbminions will agree to accommo-
date Us. Fortunes are being made In
Canada and the British West Indies
r1ugh l,cit iaqor ha stish sS w5S rne
nent has already rejected MT;
Hughes offer to exchange stored
lfquor privileges : to British ships
while In American nh harbofs os,.;Hn for a
to be referred to the imperial con-
ference. 1t undoubtedly will be con-
frmed.
.iAnother American issue certain to
be considered is our immigration
quota law. This Ia bitterly opposed
iii certain British dominions. notably
Australia, which can only send 400
on 400 of her sturdy sons to us as
Permanent settlers.
Within a fortnight of Great Brit
aln's entry into the fray. sons sprung
ftem Britannia's loins were Fastening
to her aid from Canada and Africa.
from New Zealand and Australia, from
India and the West Indies. Eventual
IL they came In their hundreds OF
thousands. They did SO without COM
pulsion. They declare they would do
eS again. but they want to remain
There will be fervid argument around
that cardinal Issue at the imperial
conference.
Inducement Tried Years.
.For years Great Britain has tried
to. induce the dominions to contribute
To- the upkeep of the British navy.
Admiral Jellicoe was sent around the
empire in 1919 and 1920 on a mission
to that end. The Limitation of naval
Armament effected at the Washington
conference has not lessened the Brit
ish empires dependence upon .'invul-
nErability at sea-" The project to
create a great fortified base at Singa-
pore indicates Britain's purpose to
kSep open the sea lanes through which
her world wide commerce is carried,
her food supply assured and her links
with oversea dominions maintained.
TAe British still spend in the neigh
borhood of $350,000,000 a year on
their fleet.
Their army costs 00.0O0,000. AN
other $60,00O,000 is devoted to the air
force. John Bull thinks the virile
ypung British nations overseas ought
ID help carry the burden OF this $780,
100000 defense bill. 1t has been re-
ported that Canada will be asked, as
hBr naval contribution, to build two
III f.,a eto ne IN ha