The Dependencies of the Empire When we speak of the
British Empire we are too often inclined to think in terms of the Home country and the self-governing Dominions alone, and to lose sight of the colonies, protectorates and mandated territories. Yet, as Sir Samuel Wilson said at a meeting of the Royal Empire Society, these dependencies, more than 50 in number, with their population of 50,000,000, contain nearly twice as many people as the self-governing Dominions.. Their development is not likely to be on the .lines followed by the Dominions, whose inhabitants were predominantly of British origin. The latter could be counted upon to create their own progress, but with the former it must largely be imposed on them. Nor is the problem a single one—it is fifty problems—and it is clearly impossible that the British public should keep itself informed of what is being done in its name by the officials of the Colonial Office. Sir Samuel indicated two schools of thought—those who would leave everything in the hands of the bureaucracy, and those who would push on with self-government too quickly. We should like to see all shades of informed opinion represented on some such influential unofficial body, capable of keeping a constant critical watch, in a constructive rather than a carping spirit, on the problems of the Colonies.
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