Mother England

Last week the House of Commons set a jubilant stage for Winston Churchill in his imperial role. For two days men of all parties hailed Commonwealth and Empire, bucked up officialdom for the coming conference of Dominion Prime Ministers (TIME, April 24). Socialist Emanuel Shinwell, most persistent of Churchill-baiters and a recent convert to Empire, called the common tune: ''Sir, we have no intention, any one of us, of throwing the British Commonwealth of Nations overboard in order to satisfy a section of the American press or anyone else."

When the Prime Minister appeared, the House was heady with imperial wine. Every Churchillian turn got a cheer. He beamed, waved, chuckled and put in the record two important bits of history.

When Churchill and President Roosevelt wrote the Atlantic Charter and came to the section about free access to raw materials, Churchill inserted the phrase "With due respect for their existing obligations." "These," said he, "are the limiting words . . . inserted for the express purpose of retaining to this House and to the Dominions the fullest possible rights and liberties over the question of imperial preference."

Again, before Churchill agreed to Article VII of the 1942 Lend-Lease agreement (which called for an end to trade discrimination and reduction of tariff barriers), he obtained from Mr. Roosevelt specific assurance that the text "no more committed [Britain] to the abolition of imperial preference than the American Government was committed to the abolition of their protective tariffs."

Best of Both. Ever jealous of Empire, and now equally committed to world association, Churchill hoped for the best. Said he: "I have never conceived that fraternal association with the U.S. would militate in any way against the unity of the British Commonwealth or Empire or breed ill feeling with our great Russian ally. ... I do not think we have to choose this or that. With wisdom, patience, vigor and courage we may get the best of both."

He agreed with Australia's Prime Minister John Curtin, last week in the U.S. , that there must be frequent consultations with the Commonwealth Prime Ministers. But, though the Dominions intend otherwise, his tone clearly showed that he was thinking of a Commonwealth centered in London, was uncertain whether he would get it. Said he: "The Mother Country--I must ask leave to use this name--anyhow, I think it is rather dangerous to plunge into a new nomenclature and I am not sure that anything like the Elder Sister Country would be a success. There was the old song. . . . 'A boy's best friend is his mother' which seems to me sometimes worth humming."

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