The Dominions and Whitehall
The announcement made by Mr. Eden on Wednesday that Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand have all arranged to send Cabinet Ministers to London to main- tain the closest liaison between the several Dominions and the British Government is welcome in the extreme. No one will forget the value of the presence here at different periods during the last war of Dominion statesmen like General Smuts and Sir Robert Borden, both of whom sat as members of the Imperial War Cabinet. It can hardly be hoped that the South African Prime Minister will find it possible to leave his post so soon after the political crisis that put him into power, though his wisdom and experience, both political and military, would be of peculiar value. The advent of Cabinet Ministers, of course, implies no kind of supersession of the High Commissioners. Men like Mr. Bruce, who has been Prime Minister of Australia, and Mr. Vincent Massey, are equal in calibre to any Minister whom Australia and Canada are likely to send, but through long residence here they are necessarily to some extent out of personal touch with the members of the present administra- tions in the different Dominions. Ministers coming direct from their own Cabinet discussions will be specially qualified to interpret here their Dominion's attitude, and have a special knowledge of what their colleagues desire to learn of Great Britain's position and plans.
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