In these democratic days the head of an Administration who
crosses the ocean to participate in far-off conferences is not an enviable one. We have, of course, the con- spicuous example of President Wilson's visit to Europe and his increasing unpopularity at home each week of his absence. A somewhat analogous state of affairs seems to exist in Australia where trouble appears to be brewing for Mr. Bruce, who is due to arrive in a few days' time. Mr. Hughes, the former Prime Minister, who is on his way to the United States on a lecturing tour, is an acute critic of the Government, while Mr. Charlton, the leader of the Labour Party, as reported by the Times, claims certain victory for his party at the next general election, and asserts that Mr. Bruce has no warrant for going " up and dowti Britain declaring that Australia is favourable to the Singapore base." The only safe procedure for Parliamentary leaders to adopt in the future would appear to be to take with them on their peregrinations across the ocean the leaders of the various oppositions. Assuming that the Imperial Conference was a perambulating body, as I have advo- cated in these notes, how pleasant would a five months' tour to the Antipodes be for, say, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. Asquith in company. How peaceful would be the ozone-caused slumbers of the distinguished travellers. No harassing anxieties as to the activities of energetic opponents on the other side of the world !
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