THE DOMINIONS' ROYAL COMMISSION, THE RAILWAYS OF THE DOMINIONS AND EMPIRE
DEVELOPMENT
For the first time in the history of the British Empire a Royal
Commission was appointed on which sat representatives of the United
Kingdom side by side with representatives of the self-governing
Dominions. This Commission consisted of eleven members--six representing
Great Britain and Ireland and five (one each) the Dominions of Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, and Newfoundland. The
Commission came into being in April, 1912. It was the outcome of a
Resolution of the Imperial Conference of 1911. The members of that
Conference and of others which preceded it had warmly expressed the
opinion that the time had arrived for drawing closer the bonds of Empire;
that with the increase in facilities for communication and intercourse
there had developed a deepened sense of common aims and ideals and a
recognition of common interests and purposes; and that questions were
arising affecting not only Imperial trade and commerce but also the many
other inter-relations of the Dominions and the Mother Country which
clamantly called for closer attention and consideration. The time at the
command of the Conference was found to be too short for such a purpose,
and it was to study problems thus arising, and to make practical
recommendations that our Commission was appointed.
The individuals forming the Commission were, first and foremost, Lord
D'Abernon (then Sir Edgar Vincent). He was our Chairman, the biggest man
of us all; ex-banker, financial expert, accomplished linguist; a
sportsman whose horse last year won the Irish St. Leger; an Admirable
Crichton; an excellent Chairman. Then came Sir Alfred Bateman, retired
high official of the Board of Trade, a master of statistics and
unequalled in experience of Commissions and Conferences. He was our
Chairman in Canada and Newfoundland and a most capable Chairman he made.
Sir Rider Haggard, novelist, ranked third; a master of fact as well as of
fiction; a high Imperialist, and versed both theoretically and
practically in agriculture and forestry. Next came Sir William (then
Mr.) Lorimer of Glasgow, a man of great business experience, an expert
authority in all matters appertaining to iron and steel and in fact all
metals and minerals. He was Chairman of the North British Locomotive
Company and of the Steel Company of Scotland, also a Director of my old
company, the Glasgow and South-Western Railway. Then Mr. Tom Garnett
(christened Tom), an expert in the textile trade of Lancashire, owning
and operating a spinning mill in Clitheroe; a good business man as well
as a student of "high politics," a scholar and a gentleman. Of the last
and least, my humble self, I need not speak, as with him the reader is
well acquainted.
Canada's representative was the Right Honorable Sir George Foster,
Minister of Trade and Commerce, steeped in matters of State, experienced
in affairs, a keen politician and a gifted orator.
Australia selected as her representative Mr. Donald Campbell, a clever
man, well read and of varied attainments, sometime journalist, editor,
lawyer, Member of Parliament, and I don't know what else.
The Honorable Sir (then Mr.) J. R. Sinclair was New Zealand's excellent
choice. A barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of his country,
he had retired from practice but was actively engaged in various
commercial and educational concerns and was a member of the Legislative
Council of New Zealand.
South Africa's member was, first, Sir Richard Solomon, High Commissioner
for the Union of South Africa in London. He died in November, 1913, when
Sir Jan Langerman took his place. Sir Jan was an expert in mining, ex-
President of the Rand Chamber of Mines, and ex-Managing Director of the
Robinson Group, also a Member of the Legislative Assembly of South
Africa. Keen and clever in business and a polished man of the world, he
was a valuable addition to the Commission.
Lastly, Newfoundland was represented by the Honorable Edgar (now Sir
Edgar) Bowring, President and Managing Director of a large firm of
steamship owners. He was experienced in the North Atlantic trade, in
seal, whale and cod fishing and other Newfoundland industries. He was
also a member of the Newfoundland Legislative Council.
Such were the members of the Commission. All endowed with sound common
sense and some gifted with imagination.
Shortly stated the main business of the Commission was to inquire into
and report upon:--
(a) The natural resources of the five self-governing Dominions and the
best means of developing these resources
(b) The trade of these parts of the Empire with the United Kingdom, each
other, and the rest of the world
(c) Their requirements, and those of the United Kingdom, in the matter of
food and raw materials, together with the available sources of supply
The Commission was also empowered to make recommendations and suggest
methods, consistent with then existing fiscal policy, by which the trade
of each of the self-governing Dominions with the others, and with the
United Kingdom, could be improved and extended.
Mr. E. J. Harding, C.M.G., was our Secretary. An Oxford man of
distinction, a member of the permanent staff of the Colonial Office,
studious, enthusiastic, energetic, of rare temper, tact and patience, he
was all such a Commission could desire. He and three or four assistants,
with local officers selected by the Governments in each of the Dominions,
one and all most capable men, formed a Secretariat that served us well.
The Commission started operations by taking evidence in London in the
autumn of 1912, but its main work lay in the Dominions, and on the 10th
of January, 1913, we sailed for Australia and New Zealand, touching at
Fremantle (Western Australia), Adelaide (South Australia), Melbourne
(Victoria), and Hobart (Tasmania) on our way.
In New Zealand we travelled through the island from south to north,
staying in that beautiful country for nearly a month, and holding
sittings in the principal cities. One sitting we held in the train--a
record surely for a Royal Commission. Easter intervening, we indulged in
a few days' holiday in the wonderful Rotorua district, where we enjoyed
its hot springs, its geysers, its rivers, its lakes and its Maori
villages. Returning to Sydney, we travelled northwards to Queensland and
there entered seriously upon our Australian duties, holding sittings at
Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart and Perth. In Queensland
we penetrated north as far as Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Mount
Morgan. In the other States tours were made through the irrigation areas
of New South Wales and Victoria, and visits paid to the mines at Broken
Hill (New South Wales), the Zeehan district and Mount Lyall (Tasmania);
Iron Knob (South Australia), and Kalgoorlie (Western Australia). Some of
our party penetrated to remoter parts of Australia such as Cairns
(Northern Queensland), Condobolin (west of New South Wales), and
Oodnadatta (Central Australia), still the furthest point of railway
extension toward the great Northern Territory.
To Tasmania we were able to devote a few days, taking evidence and
enjoying its wonderful beauty.
Finally, we left Australia on the 9th of June, four months after our
first landing on its sunny shores.
On arriving home it was determined that for the remainder of the year
1913 we should remain in England and take further evidence in London.
We resumed our travels in January, 1914, when we left for South Africa.
There we held a number of sittings, taking evidence at Capetown,
Oudtshoorn, Port Elizabeth, East London, Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Durban,
Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg. Our journeys to these
various places were so planned as to involve our travelling over most of
the principal railway lines of the Union, so that we were able to see a
considerable portion of its beautiful scenery as well as its great mining
and pastoral industries. Our work finished, most of us returned direct
to England, but some were able to penetrate northwards into Rhodesia, and
return by way of the East Coast of Africa.
It was our intention, after taking further evidence in London, to proceed
to Canada and Newfoundland, and to return home before the winter began,
when we looked forward to making our Final Report. This intention we
partially fulfilled, as in July, 1914, we sailed from Liverpool, and
after exchanging steamers at Rimouski, landed at St. John's,
Newfoundland. There we stayed for a few days whilst the crisis in Europe
deepened. We then travelled through the island by railway and crossed to
the Maritime Provinces of Canada. On that fatal day in August on which
war broke out we were in Nova Scotia. A few days after, the British
Government, considering that under such conditions we could not finish
our work in Canada, called us home. In common with many of our
countrymen we indulged in the hope that the duration of the war would be
a matter of months and not of years, and that we should be able to resume
our work in Canada in the autumn of 1915. But this was not to be.
However, in 1916, the Governments represented on the Commission came to
the conclusion that the completion of our work ought not to be longer
delayed, and accordingly, in August, 1916, we sailed again to Canada.
In the Maritime Provinces of Canada, in 1914, we visited Sydney, Cape
Breton, Halifax, the Annapolis Valley and Digby in Nova Scotia; St. John,
Fredericton and Moncton in New Brunswick, and Charlottetown in Prince
Edward Island.
In 1916 the resumption of our Canadian work began at Montreal.
Thereafter, the great mining districts of Northern Ontario engaged our
attention, where, amongst other valuable products of the earth, nickel,
silver and gold abound. From Ontario we travelled westward to Prince
Rupert on the British Columbian coast, holding sittings at Saskatoon,
Edmonton and Prince Rupert. We then proceeded by steamer, through
glorious scenery, southward to Victoria, Vancouver Island. At Victoria
and also at Vancouver we took evidence. From Vancouver we journeyed
eastwards by the Canadian Pacific Railway over the Rockies, breaking our
journey and holding sittings at Vernon, in the Okanagan Valley, at
Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec, devoting
several days each to many of these places. Whilst in British Columbia we
also visited the lower part of the Okanagan Valley, and whilst in the
prairie provinces stopped at Medicine Hat (where the gas lamps burn day
and night because it would cost more in wages than the cost of the gas to
employ a man to turn them out). In Ontario we visited North Bay, Fort
William, Port Arthur, Guelph and Niagara Falls. In addition some of us
travelled through the mining districts of British Columbia, and also
inspected the asbestos mines at Thetford, in the Province of Quebec.
This is the bald outline of our long and interesting journeys, which by
land and sea comprehended some 70,000 miles. How bald it is I keenly
feel, and it would afford me more pleasure than I can tell to give some
account of our wonderful experiences--of the delight of sailing in
southern seas; of the vast regions of the mainland of Australia; of the
marvels of its tropical parts; of the entrancing beauty of New Zealand
and Tasmania; of the wonders of Canada, the variety of its natural
productions, its magnificent wheat-growing areas; of the charm of South
Africa with its glorious climate and its beautiful rolling veldt. What a
memory it all is! Tranquil seas, starlit nights, the Southern Cross,
noble forests, glorious mountains, mighty rivers, boundless plains; young
vigorous communities under sunny skies, with limitless space in which to
expand. I should love to enlarge on these things, but a sense of
proportion and propriety restrains my pen.
In all the Dominions we were received with the warmest of welcomes and
most generous hospitality--governments, municipalities and corporations
vieing with each other in doing us honor, whilst private individuals
loaded us with kindness. It was clear that our mission was popular, and
clear too that affection for the old country was warm and lively. I
cannot attempt to narrate all that was done for us--banquets, receptions,
excursions, garden parties, concerts--time and space will not allow. But
I cannot be altogether silent about the splendid special train which the
South African Government placed at our disposal from the time we left
Capetown until we reached Johannesburg, which (taking evidence at the
various places on the way) occupied several weeks. This sumptuous train
consisted of dining car, sleeping cars and parlour car, was liberally
staffed and provisioned; with a skilful _chef_, polite and attentive
waiters and attendants. It was practically our hotel during those forty
days or more.
In Australia and New Zealand, more than once, the various governments
provided us with special cars or special trains to visit their remoter
districts with the greatest possible comfort. The same was the case in
Newfoundland, whilst the Canadian Government lent to us a steamer--the
_Earl Grey_--for our journey from Rimouski to Newfoundland, which since
has done good service for the Allied cause in the war.
In Canada we travelled from Montreal to Prince Rupert, some 3,000 miles,
in a handsome and most commodious car kindly lent to us by Sir Daniel
Mann, one of the founders of the Canadian Northern Railway. It, too, was
our home and hotel during the ten days which that journey occupied. The
longest passenger vehicle I had ever seen, it had ample kitchen, dining
room, sitting room, sleeping and "observation" accommodation for us all,
with an excellent bathroom and the luxury of a shower bath.
On all our journeys to and from the Dominions, and in all our expeditions
by sea or by land, my wife accompanied me. She was an excellent
traveller. There is considerable difference in our years; but, as
Dickens has said: "There can be no disparity in marriage save
unsuitability of mind and purpose." The only lady who accompanied the
Commission everywhere, she was sometimes called "The Lady Commissioner."
One must not praise one's own, but this much I may say: Her Irish wit and
bright unselfish ways made her, everywhere and always, a welcome addition
to the Commission party.
After November, 1916, we held no more public sittings, took no further
evidence, but sat down at Spencer House (one of the many stately London
residences lent by their owners to the Government during the war) and
there, in its ballroom, industriously worked out our Final Report. This,
of course, reviewed the whole subject of our inquiry and embodied our
final conclusions and recommendations. To the credit of the Commission
be it said, these conclusions and recommendations were entirely
unanimous, as also were those in each of our Interim Reports, published
in connection with the Dominions separately.
In this Final Report the subject of railways was not included. Railways
of course formed part of our inquiry, but they were dealt with in our
Interim Reports.
To a large extent railways were more a matter of domestic than of
Imperial concern, but as the development of the resources of the
Dominions depended greatly upon the adequacy of railway transit, the
subject came within the province of our inquiry. I will not trouble the
reader with statistics (which can be readily obtained elsewhere) beyond
the following statement which represented, at the time we made our
investigations, the railway mileage and the population in each Dominion
compared with the United Kingdom:--
Miles of Population. Number of
Railway. Inhabitants
per Mile of
Railway.
Canada 35,600 8,075,000 280
Australia 18,000 4,500,000 250
South Africa 8,800 1,300,000{207a} 150{207b}
New Zealand 2,900 1,052,000{207a} 370
Newfoundland 800 250,000 320
United Kingdom 23,500 46,000,000 1,950
It is clear that railway construction has not been neglected in the
Dominions, and that, measured by population, the mileage is considerable.
Speaking generally, the Dominion railways are highly efficient and serve
their purpose well. Extensions were being projected and many were in
course of construction for the further development of natural resources
and of trade and commerce.
In Australia the railways, with the exception of certain lines belonging
to the Commonwealth, are owned and worked by the several States. We
found them paying full interest on the cost of construction, and sound
assets of the country. The cost of working was, however, greatly
increasing, due mainly to increase of salaries and wages. How this
stands since the war I do not know; but that expenses have further
advanced goes without saying. An important railway witness whom we
examined expressed the opinion that increased expenditure could be
recouped by increased rates. Perhaps that is still true. If it is, the
railways of Australia are happier than most of the railways in Ireland.
The railways of New Zealand belong to and are worked by the Government.
For many years the Government, looking upon the railways as an adjunct to
the settlement and development of the country, only expected them to
return 3 per cent. interest on the capital expended. In 1909 this
policy, however, was modified, 3.75 to 4 per cent. being then regarded as
a proper result, and this result was accomplished. Water power in New
Zealand is so abundant that the adoption of electricity for railway
working has been engaging the attention of the Government. Many, well
qualified to judge, were satisfied that it would prove more economical
than steam locomotion.
In both Australia and New Zealand, borrowing for railway construction had
been by means of general loans raised for all kinds of Government
expenditure. We came to the conclusion that if loans for reproductive
works, such as railways, had been segregated from others, it would have
helped the raising of capital, and probably secured easier terms.
The construction of railways in Canada has, in recent years, proceeded at
a rapid pace. We found that the mileage had doubled since the beginning
of the present century, due, to a large extent, to the construction of
two new Trans-Continental lines. The grain-growing districts of the
prairie provinces, south of latitude 54 degrees, are now covered with a
network of railways, and British Columbia has three through routes to
Eastern Canada.
The enterprise of the principal Canadian railway companies is remarkable.
They own and operate not only railways, but also hotels, ferry services,
grain elevators, lake and coast steamers, as well as Trans-Atlantic and
Trans-Pacific steamers. One company also has irrigation works, and ready-
made farms for settlers in the prairie provinces. But Canada lies so
near to us, and in the British Press its railways receive such constant
attention, that I need not descant further upon them.
In South Africa, with the exception of about 500 miles mainly in the Cape
Province, the railways are all Government owned, and are worked as one
unified system. The Act of Union (1909) prescribed that the railways and
the harbours (which are also Government owned and worked) were to be
administered on business principles, and that the total earnings should
not exceed the necessary expenditure for working and for interest on
capital. Whenever they did, reductions in the rates, or the provision of
greater facilities, were to restore the balance. This provision also had
the effect of preventing the imposition of taxation upon the community by
means of railway rates. The Act contained another practical clause,
designed to block the construction of lines from political
considerations. Any line constructed contrary to the advice of the
Railway Board, if it resulted in loss, the loss was to be a charge, not
upon the general railway revenue, but upon the Consolidated Fund--a
useful "brake," which I have no doubt has often pulled up hasty and
impetuous politicians.
South African railways enjoy one great advantage--cheap coal for their
engines. In 1913 the average cost at the pit's mouth was 4s. 11.5d. per
ton.
The railways of Newfoundland have had a chequered history. Now they are
Government property, worked by a private company under a 50 years' lease,
which dates from 1901, and under that lease no rent is paid. As the
capital expenditure (about 3,000,000 pounds) averages less than 4,000
pounds per mile, it may be conceived that the railway system of
Newfoundland is not of an extravagant character, and in my humble
opinion, the country deserves something much better. In our fourth
report (on Newfoundland) we stated: "It must also be said that the state
of the permanent way does not conduce to speedy or comfortable
travelling."
The gauges of the Dominions' railways are very varied. In Australia
there are three--5ft. 3in., 4ft. 8.5in. and 3ft. 6in., with some 300
miles or so of less than 3ft. 6in. The Commonwealth has for some time
been considering the conversion of the lines into one standard gauge, the
British gauge of 4ft. 8.5in. being favoured. The cost of this conversion
naturally increases the longer action is deferred, and in any case would
be very great. It was officially estimated at the time of our visit at
37,000,000 pounds.
New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Newfoundland are each the happy
possessor of one gauge only. In Canada it is the British gauge of 4ft.
8.5in., and in New Zealand, South Africa and Newfoundland, 3ft. 6in.
Our Final Report was signed on the 21st of February, 1917, and published
as a Blue Book in the usual way, but, what is rarely done with any Blue
Book, it was also published in handy book-form, bound in cloth, at the
popular price of 1s. 6d. Blue Books do sometimes contain matter of
general interest, are sometimes well written and readable, and would be
more read if presented to the public in a handy form such as we succeeded
in publishing.
The main purposes of the Commission I have already briefly stated. They
embraced many subjects for inquiry and study, of which the following are
the most important, and regarding each of which it may be appropriate to
say a word or two:--
External Trade of the Self-Governing Dominions
We ascertained and compiled in detail, tables of the Imports and Exports,
distinguishing Trade with (_a_) the United Kingdom, (_b_) the other parts
of the Empire, and (_c_) with foreign countries. The figures showed the
need there was for an Imperial trade policy, which should lead to British
manufacturers and merchants cultivating more the Dominion markets, and
utilising more the vast resources of raw materials which the Dominions
possess. We found that a detailed examination of existing conditions,
and practical and definite proposals for the removal of difficulties,
were required.
Natural Resources of the Dominions
In regard to agricultural matters we gathered and published much
information, finding that in one part or other of the Dominions all
animals and almost every crop flourished that are needed by man, that if
the products of the more tropical parts of the Empire were taken into
account, the Empire could meet more than its own needs; and that if men
existed in sufficient numbers in our Dominions, there was scarcely any
limit to the external trade they could do. In this part of our Inquiry
we found to what a considerable extent people concentrated in large
cities to the detriment of the country districts. "Back to the land" is
a question there of as much if not greater moment than in the Mother
Country. The mineral resources of the Dominions, like the agricultural,
provided us with a big subject. In every Province or State, by oral
evidence, by official statistics, by discussion with Government
geologists, officials of the Mines Departments and others, we gathered a
large amount of valuable information. The volumes of printed evidence
give full particulars of this and other subjects. The mineral deposits
of Canada especially are varied in character and large in respect both of
quantity and value--gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, coal, iron,
asbestos, natural gas, petroleum, peat, gypsum--all are found in
unstinted quantity. Nor are the other Dominions deficient. The
goldfields of Australia are historic, and the silver, lead and zinc mines
of Broken Hill deserve particular mention. In South Africa gold and
diamonds are plentiful; and Newfoundland has wonderful deposits of iron
ore.
In forests and fish the Dominions abound, and possess enormous
possibilities of extended trade.
Conservation and Development of Natural Resources in the Future
This subject received our earnest attention. We considered that the
various Governments of the Empire should take steps to secure the
development and utilisation of their natural wealth on a well considered
scheme, and that to do this, a preliminary survey was needed of the
relation between Empire production and Empire requirements. No such
survey, as far as we knew, had yet been undertaken, but in the
_Memorandum and Tables relating to the Food and Raw Material Requirements
of the United Kingdom_, which we submitted to His Majesty in 1915, the
Commission had made an effort, not without some measure of success, in
this direction. We regarded it as vital that the Empire's supplies of
raw material and commodities essential to its safety should be, as far as
possible, independent of outside control, and made suggestions which
aimed at effecting this object. We recommended that the survey mentioned
above should be made by an Imperial Development Board, which should be
entrusted with the whole subject.
Scientific Research in Relation to the Development of Natural Resources
We dwelt on the importance of securing to all parts of the Empire
adequate facilities for scientific research in connection with the
development of their natural resources; and, in connection with this,
made certain recommendations as regards the Imperial Institute, for the
purpose of increasing its efficiency and usefulness.
Migration
To this important matter we devoted much time and thought, not only in
London, but in each of the Dominions as well, obtaining much valuable
evidence and personally examining the circumstances and conditions that
prevailed. No Imperial question, we considered, could be of greater
importance than this. We made many recommendations, some of which have
already been adopted, whilst the remainder are coming into great
prominence now that the war is over. In the past we found no effort had
been made to regulate emigration from the United Kingdom, and we proposed
the establishment of a Central Emigration Authority. The surplus of
females in the United Kingdom, increased unfortunately by the war, will
probably result in many young women seeking their fortune overseas, and
we urged increased facilities and better regulations for their migration,
showing how best we considered they could be given.
Oversea Communications
To this subject, which embraced sea transport, harbours, waterways, mail
communications, postal rates, freight rates, etc., we devoted
considerable time, calling attention in particular to an aspect of the
question never, so far as I know, investigated before, viz., the urgency
of constructing deep harbours suited for the deep draught vessels which
alone can carry on cheap and rapid transport. We made recommendations as
to the improvements immediately necessary on the great trade routes, and
urged that future schemes should be submitted to an Imperial Development
Board.
Telegraphic Communications
In the far distant Dominions, cable communication is a matter of great
importance to the community; and increased facilities and cheaper rates
are much desired. Some of the recommendations we made to this end have
since been adopted.
Improvement in Commercial Practice
This presented a large field for inquiry; and, after much investigation,
we made recommendations on Trade Intelligence; Trade Commissioners and
Correspondents; Consular Service; Improvements in Statistics; Conference
of United Kingdom and Dominion Statisticians; and other matters, all of
which we considered were of practical necessity.
Lastly, the need of creating an _Imperial Development Board_ engaged our
serious attention. Early in our Inquiry we had been impressed with the
necessity for the appointment of some board or body whose constant duty
it should be to consider questions affecting Imperial trade and
development, from the point of view of the interests of the whole Empire.
We took some evidence on the subject, discussed it with leading men in
the Dominions, gave the question much thought, and finally recommended
the establishment of a new Imperial Development Board, which should
include not only representatives of the United Kingdom and all the
Dominions, but also of India, the Crown Colonies and the Protectorates.
In the course of our work we had been much impressed with the inadequacy
of existing organisations to deal promptly and efficiently with such
matters as the following:--
Telegraphic, cable and shipping communications between the various
portions of the Empire
Inter-Imperial mail services and postal rates
The development of harbours and waterways on the great routes of commerce
to meet Imperial requirements
Migration as a factor in Empire development and trade
Legislation affecting the mechanism of trade, such as that on patents,
companies, copyright, weights and measures, etc.
The application and better utilisation of capital raised in the United
Kingdom and other parts of the Empire, towards promoting the development
of the Empire's resources
The systematic dissemination throughout the Empire of news bearing upon
Imperial questions and interests
The preparation and publication of Imperial statistics
Better organisation for handling and for disposal of the produce of
various parts of the Empire
These, and subjects of a similar nature, we considered should be assigned
to the proposed Board as its ordinary work; and to the duty of advising
the Governments on these matters would be added that of collecting the
necessary particulars bearing upon them, involving research not only into
the conditions prevailing in the Empire, but into the methods of rival
trading countries.
To a large Board we were opposed. We suggested that members should be
required to give their whole time to the work, and that representation of
the various parts of the Empire might be as follows:--
United Kingdom, India, Crown Colonies and Protectorates 7
Canada 1
Australia 1
New Zealand 1
South Africa 1
Newfoundland 1
___
12
___
Such is a brief summary of our Mission, our Report, and our
Recommendations.
Whilst we were impressed by the vast extent and infinite variety of the
Empire domain we were also touched by the sentiment which held together
its widely scattered parts. Without this sentiment, and without loyalty
to the Crown and Mother Country, what, we often thought, would happen?
The war has taught us much as to the unity of the Empire. Peace, we may
be sure, will bring its own lessons, perhaps its own dangers, in its
train. To strengthen the bonds so loosely yet so finely drawn must
henceforth be the constant duty of the Statesmen of the Empire. The
governing machinery requires overhauling, demands adjustment to the needs
of the various sections of the Empire, and to the throbbing anxiety of
each to share in the duties and responsibilities of Empire Government and
Development.