DOMINION STATUS 263
- The Statute of Westminister applies to :
(1) The Dominion of Canada,
(2) The Commonwealth of Australia,
(3) The Dominion of New Zealand,
(4) The Union of South Africa,
(5) The Irish Free State,
(6) New Foundland.
This statute calls these colonies as Dominions and confers on them what is called Dominion Status.
These Colonies had Responsible Government before the Statute of Westminister.
What is the difference between Responsible Government and Dominion Status ?
Mechanism of Responsible Government. —
(1) T HE CLAIM BY THE COLONY TO COLONIAL AUTONOMY IN MATTERS WHICH AFFECTED THEM .
(2) T HE CLAIM TO UNLIMITED SOVEREIGNTY BY THE IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT .
These two claim are contradictory. A self-governing colony is a contradiction in terms.
The solution of this question involved two questions :
(1) How was the divison of authority to take place between the Colonial and Imperial Governments.
(2) How were the powers given to each were to be exercised by each.
The division proposed was not along the lines of imperial and colonial legislative competence.
All legislation was to be within colonial competence except what was barred by the colonial laws, but some of it would be liable to veto by the Imperial Government not on the ground that it was beyond the competence of the colonial legislature, but it affected some Imperial interest.
The matters of Imperial concern were not reduced to writing by enumeration. The Imperial Government was free to decide whether any particular matter was or was not of Imperial concern.