§ 4. Mr. G. HALLasked the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs which of the Dominions have ratified the Statute of Westminster; and, in the case of those not ratifying, what reasons, if any, have been given for non-ratification?
Mr. J. H. THOMASThe Statute of Westminster was passed at the request, and with the consent, of all the Dominions, and no question of ratifying it arises so far as Canada, the Union of South Africa and the Irish Free State are concerned. It was, however, provided in Section 10 that certain of the earlier Sections of the Statute should not extend to the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand or Newfoundland unless adopted by the respective Parliaments. No action in this direction has hitherto been taken. In the case of the Commonwealth of Australia, a statement was recently made in the Commonwealth Parliament on behalf of the Commonwealth Government indicating that no action is contemplated for the time being. In the case of Newfoundland, the position has naturally been affected by recent events.