IMPERIAL FEDERATION, a term in English politics for the consolidation of the British Empire, so as to combine its resources for the maintenance and defense of common interests, while leaving intact the existing rights of colonial parliaments in local affairs. The idea was first advocated by Thomas Pownall, governor of Massachusetts in 1764. In the 19th century one of its most out standing colonial advocates was Joseph Howe, the Canadian statesman. The foundation of the Imperial Federation League by W. E. Forster in 1884 may be said to have marked the be ginning of organized movement in this direc tion. The celebration of the 60th year of Victoria's reign in 1897 was the occasion of a gathering in London of the prime ministers of all the self-governing colonies, who were entertained as the guests of the country. This was the third occasion of a meeting of repre sentatives of the colonies, the first having met in London in 1887 and the second in Ottawa in 1894. After taking part in the queen's pro cession and the attendant festivities the premiers met the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Chamberlain) in conference. The subject of Imperial Federation was discussed at one of these meetings; and though more than one of the premiers directly advocated the representa tion of the colonies in a council sitting in Lon don, the opinion of the greater number was expressed in the observation that the colonies were very well as they were at present. Fur ther conferences were held in 1902, 1907 and 1911. The 1902 conference agreed to co-operate with the imperial authorities as regards defense; Australia and South Africa offered to contnb ute to the cost of the British navy; a resolution was passed declaring that free trade within the empire was not practicable; but favored inter imperial preference. This conference was pre sided over by Chamberlain, the strongest ad vocate of reciprocal preferences. But in 1907, with a Liberal government in power pledged to the maintenance of free trade, the reaffirming of the resolution passed in 1902 on imperial preference was strongly dissented from by the representatives of the home government. The
creation of an imperial general staff was ap proved, as was a British resolution in favor of fiscal freedom to each part of the empire. In 1911 imperial preference was not brought up, and a resolution in favor of giving the self governing dominions liberty to withdraw from most-favored-nation treaties was passed, but owing to the strong opposition of foreign gov ernments no steps have been taken in this re gard. These conferences, it may be said, are held every four years, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Colonial Secretary, and the prime ministers of the self-governing dominions being designated as the ex-officio members. The delegates, however, have no power to bind their respective countries. Partly as a result of these conferences various modifications in the fiscal policies of the dominions and colonies have taken place. In 1897 Canada granted uncondi tional preference on British goods and this was subsequently increased. The West Indies, Cey lon, the Straits Settlements and New South Wales were accorded the preferential terms of the Canadian tariff in 1898. The South African Customs Union established a British preference in 1903, to which Canada was admitted a year later; and in the same year New Zealand granted a British preference on a limited list of imports. One of the most valuable results of the Imperial Federation movement and of the various imperial conferences has been in a co-ordinated scheme of defense for the whole empire and in the sharing of the burden. The outbreak of the Great European War saw a rallying of all the dominions to the help of the mother country, and that although they were free to assist or to refrain from lending assistance.
Consult Chamberlain, 'Imperial Union and Tariff Reform> (speeches) ; the proceedings of the several imperial conferences; Seeley, The Expansion of ; Jebb, (The British Question: A Survey of Alternatives' ; Kirk patrick, Defence and Trade); Pol lard, (The British Empire) ; Amery, 'Union and Strength' ; Lucas, 'Greater Rome and Greater Britain.'