Development of Dominion Status 1900-1936

Introduction

First published in 1965. The peculiar political condition which is now called Dominion status has had a long and varied history; but no part of its development has been so full of constitutional interest as the last twenty years. Yet those who have lived through this period are frequently very much at loss to recall the exact sequence of events and the manner in which Dominion autonomy has proceeded step by step to its present position.

Purpose of the Book

This book is an attempt to give the general reader a concise account of what Dominion status means, and how it has grown out of the political experience of the immediate past. To accomplish this, the book is arranged in two parts: first, a narrative of the development of Dominion status since 1900; and second, a very generous selection from the essential contemporary documents by means of which the reader may, if he so desires, study this development first-hand.

Content and Sources

These documents have not been limited to official reports and bluebooks (which are naturally indispensable in dealing with such a topic), but they also include other material from newspapers and periodicals, which supplement the formal papers and frequently bear additional information which is unobtainable elsewhere. The two parts have been linked together by footnotes and cross-references.